If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.

Main content

Identify the conclusion | Worked example

Watch a demonstration of one way to approach a logical reasoning question that asks you to identify the conclusion of an argument. Created by Sal Khan.

Want to join the conversation?

  • blobby green style avatar for user a a
    What is the difference between Lack of financial support for faculty research is the root cause of ineffective teaching at universities and Lack of funds for research reduces the quality of education a university provides?
    (6 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user
  • duskpin ultimate style avatar for user Sen
    I do wish for this one, the instructor made it more clear that at the end, the differentiation is because the strength of the claim for B was too strong which is why D was the correct answer.
    (13 votes)
    Default Khan Academy avatar avatar for user

Video transcript

- [Instructor] The primary task of a university is to educate. But to teach well, professors must be informed about new developments in their disciplines, and that requires research. Yet many universities cannot afford to support faculty research adequately. So a lack of funds for research adversely affects the degree to which a university can fulfill its central mission. Which of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the argument? So, let's just map out what this paragraph is trying to say. So they say the primary task of a university is to educate, so that's what a university needs to do. But to teach well, professors must be informed, to teach well, professors must be informed about new developments in their disciplines, and that requires research, so you have this chain of support, research leads to informing professors, informing, informing professors, and then that leads to teaching well, at least based on the argument in this paragraph, teaching well. Yet many universities cannot afford to support faculty research adequately. So a lack of funds, so a lack of funds for research adversely affects the degree to which a university can fulfill its central mission. So all of the statements before this last sentence, they're building this argument, they're saying, hey look, if you don't have informed professors, they're not gonna teach well, and if you don't have research you're not going to have informed professors. And so then they join this chain of support together for this conclusion that a lack of funds for research, that if you somehow don't have this then that's going to lead to not teaching well which is the primary task of a university, and so actually we can even make that the last step, primary task of a university. So let's see which of these statements actually describe that, so that if you had a lack of research, that all of a sudden a university is not able to fulfill its primary task. Choice A, in order to be able to teach well, university professors must conduct research. So choice A is describing this part right over here, which is a subconclusion, that in order to be able to teach well, university professors must conduct research, in fact it's this part, it's going from research to teaching well, but that's not the entire conclusion or the entire chain or logical chain being argued for here, so, I would rule that out. What you'll see in these questions, is sometimes as possible choices, they might put supporting facts or supporting claims, or they might put subconclusions, but what we're really gonna go for is the full conclusion. Lack of financial support for faculty research is the root of ineffective teaching at universities. So this one's similar, this is saying look, if you're not researching then you're not going to teach well. So it's getting all the way through the logical chain but not fully through the logical chain. So, I'd also, this is close, but I'll rule this one out. Let's see if we have a choice that makes more sense. Effective teaching is the primary mission of a university. So this is this part of the logical chain, that teaching is the primary task, but it's clearly not the conclusion of this entire paragraph, where they're saying, hey, research leads to improved professors, leads to teaching well, which is the primary task. So, once again, it is a substatement. Lack of funds for research reduces the quality of education a university provides. Okay, so this is interesting, so lack of quality research reduces the quality of education. So education is a little bit broader than teaching well, and you could argue that that is the primary task, so this one does look interesting. Let's look at choice E, new means of funding faculty research at universities are needed. Well, it's not making that statement, it's not saying new means of faculty funding at research is needed, it might, it's just trying to say that lack of funds is making it hard for the university to fulfill its mission. So I would rule that one out and I would go with D. This is the closest one, lack of funds for university research, if you take that away, then you're gonna take that away, you're not gonna be able to teach well, and then you're not going to be able to educate. It's close to B, lack of financial support for faculty research, so B and D, it starts close, is the root of ineffective teaching. Here they're saying, reduces the quality of education, education's a little bit closer to the primary task.