Match principles | Learn more

How do we match the principles of two arguments or situations?

“Match principles” questions are similar to match structure questions, in that the passage represents an argument or a situation, and each choice also represents an argument or a situation. Your task is to identify the choice that illustrates the same principle as the passage does.

How do we recognize Match Principle questions?

These questions will consist of:

A specific situation or argument in the passage, and
A specific situation or argument in each choice.

Examples

The principle underlying the argument above is most similar to the principle underlying which one of the following arguments?

Which one of the following most closely conforms to the principle illustrated by the argument above?

Example

Evan: I am a vegetarian because I believe it is immoral to inflict pain on animals to obtain food. Some vegetarians who share this moral reason nonetheless consume some seafood, on the grounds that it is not known whether certain sea creatures can experience pleasure or pain. But if it is truly wrong to inflict needless suffering, we should extend the benefit of the doubt to sea animals and refrain from eating seafood.

Which one of the following most closely conforms to the principle illustrated by Evan's criticism of vegetarians who eat seafood?

(A) I do not know if I have repaid Farah the money she lent me for a movie ticket. She says that she does not remember whether or not I repaid her. In order to be sure that I have repaid her, I will give her the money now.

(B) It is uncertain whether all owners of the defective vehicles know that their vehicles are being recalled by the manufacturer. Thus, we should expect that some vehicles that have been recalled have not been returned.

(C) I am opposed to using incentives such as reduced taxes to attract businesses to our region. These incentives would attract businesses interested only in short-term profits. Such businesses would make our region's economy less stable, because they have no long-term commitment to the community.

(D) Updating our computer security system could lead to new contracts. The present system has no problems, but we could benefit from emphasizing a state-of-the-art system in new proposals. If we do not get new customers, the new system could be financed through higher fees for current customers.

(E) Isabel Allende lived through the tragic events of her country's recent history; no doubt her novels have been inspired by her memories of those events. Yet Allende's characters are hopeful and full of joy, indicating that Allende's own view of life has not been negatively marked by her experiences.

How might we tackle this question?

✓ Identify the principle that governs the passage: When considering principles, it’s usually helpful to ask yourself what the arguer seems to value—in other words, why they recommend or predict or compare what they do. And if the passage contains an argument (instead of just a scenario), then it’s helpful to separate the evidence and conclusion in order to identify the principle.

In our example, we are asked about Evan’s criticism of vegetarians who eat seafood, so we can feel confident that we’re dealing with an argument:

Conclusion

If it is truly wrong to inflict needless suffering, we should extend the benefit of the doubt to sea animals and refrain from eating seafood

because

Support

I am a vegetarian because I believe it is immoral to inflict pain on animals to obtain food.
Some vegetarians who share this moral reason nonetheless consume some seafood, on the grounds that
It is not known whether certain sea creatures can experience pleasure or pain.

And what does Evan appear to value? Evan’s recommendation for responding to an unknown (whether sea creatures can experience pain) is to err on the side of caution—in other words, act in a way that prioritizes the sea creatures’ benefit.

✓ Examine each choice: It isn’t possible to predict a specific answer for Matching Principles questions, since you can’t anticipate what the topic could be. After you formulate a strong generalized idea of the passage’s principle (in this case, “err on the side of caution”), you can jump right to the choices. As you evaluate the choices, quickly eliminate any that deviate even a little bit from the principle that we identified.

(A) I do not know if I have repaid Farah the money she lent me for a movie ticket. She says that she does not remember whether or not I repaid her. In order to be sure that I have repaid her, I will give her the money now.

In this choice, the speaker presents what’s unknown to us—neither Farah nor the speaker remembers whether the speaker has paid Farah back. Since the speaker values erring on the side of caution (“in order to be sure that I have repaid her, I will give her the money now”), the principle underlying this argument matches the principle underlying the passage’s argument.

(A) is the answer.

(B) It is uncertain whether all owners of the defective vehicles know that their vehicles are being recalled by the manufacturer. Thus, we should expect that some vehicles that have been recalled have not been returned.

This choice isn’t a match. The conclusion here isn’t a recommendation for a certain action; it’s a simple belief on the part of the arguer regarding whether some vehicles that have been recalled have been returned or not.

(C) I am opposed to using incentives such as reduced taxes to attract businesses to our region. These incentives would attract businesses interested only in short-term profits. Such businesses would make our region's economy less stable, because they have no long-term commitment to the community.

This choice’s principle doesn’t match the passage’s principle. While the arguer does make a recommendation (against using incentives to attract businesses to the region), the provided support has nothing to do with erring on the side of caution in the face of the unknown. On the contrary, there is no element of the unknown present in this choice.

(D) Updating our computer security system could lead to new contracts. The present system has no problems, but we could benefit from emphasizing a state-of-the-art system in new proposals. If we do not get new customers, the new system could be financed through higher fees for current customers.

This choice’s principle doesn’t match the passage’s principle, because it doesn’t address erring on the side of caution when something is unknown. Rather, it provides several beneficial reasons for taking a certain action, and this strays from the purpose of the passage.

(E) Isabel Allende lived through the tragic events of her country's recent history; no doubt her novels have been inspired by her memories of those events. Yet Allende's characters are hopeful and full of joy, indicating that Allende's own view of life has not been negatively marked by her experiences.

This choice’s principle doesn’t match the passage’s principle. Here, we don’t see any kind of recommendation or consideration of an unknown element. This choice simply presents some beliefs about Isabel Allende’s life based on the characters she’s created.

Summary

✓ Identify the principle that governs the passage in general terms.
✓ If it’s an argument, separate the conclusion from the support.
✓ Examine each choice in turn.

Your turn!

Match principles example

Psychologist: The best way to recall a certain word or name that one is having trouble remembering is to occupy one's mind with other things, since often the more we strive to remember a certain word or name that we can't think of, the less likely it becomes that the word will come to mind.

The principle that underlies the psychologist's argument underlies which one of the following arguments?

(Choice A)
Often, the best way to achieve happiness is to pursue other things besides wealth and fame, for there are wealthy and famous people who are not particularly happy, which suggests that true happiness does not consist in wealth and fame.
(Choice B)
The best way to succeed in writing a long document is not to think about how much is left to write but only about the current paragraph, since on many occasions thinking about what remains to be done will be so discouraging that the writer will be tempted to abandon the project.
(Choice C)
The best way to overcome a serious mistake is to continue on confidently as though all is well. After all, one can overcome a serious mistake by succeeding in new challenges, and dwelling on one's errors usually distracts one's mind from new challenges.
(Choice D)
The best way to fall asleep quickly is to engage in some mental diversion like counting sheep, because frequently the more one concentrates on falling asleep the lower the chance of falling asleep quickly.
(Choice E)
The best way to cope with sorrow or grief is to turn one's attention to those who are experiencing even greater hardship, for in many circumstances this will make our own troubles seem bearable by comparison.

Takeaways

If you struggle with “Identify the principle” questions, then “Match principles” questions will likely be even tougher for you. Consider strengthening your principle-perceptor muscles by working through some “Identify the principle” lessons and questions before tackling more “Match principles” questions.
“Match principle” questions are not very common on the LSAT, so many students choose to skip them in search of faster and easier points.
Try to zoom out and sum up the “big picture” when identifying the principle: what the arguer values and how the arguer makes a point is much more important than the details of the specific topic the arguer is addressing.

Want to join the conversation?

Sort by:

No posts yet.