Comparisons

I. Mission
II. Comparison Patterns
III. Basics: The Same or Different
IV. Deconstruction
V. Comparison in conclusions
VI. Comparison Patterns
VII. Explanations

Comparisons

I. Mission:
1. Recognize the pattern and rules
2. Evaluate the conclusion
3. Evaluate the premises
4. Follow The Task by evaluating argument.
5. Highlight the difference or similarity.

Question based Missions

1. Strengthen - Show Similarity

2. Weaken - Show Difference
3. Paradox - New Difference To Explain Surprising Result
4. Most supported - Complete the analogy - Find Similar Aspect
5. Flaw - Show the Difference

II. Comparison Patterns – they are shown in question types in these forms

1. This timeframe vs. That time frame

2. This situation vs. That situation
3. This group vs. That Group
4. Plan vs. No plan
5. Part vs. Whole
6. Sample vs. Generalization
7. Relative vs. Absolute
8. Percent vs. Number
9. Overall Value Judgments
10. Anti-Causal

III. Basics

Comparison in Reasoning - The Same or Different

1. Two things being compared are - Meaningfully Different

2. Types: with vs. without; with vs. with but one of them is more or less.
 IV. Deconstruction
1. Try to Build the Full scenarios in two columns and prepare things for overall judgment.
2. Find what with what?
3. What aspect?
4. Consider Not Included Facts
5. Other side of the facts
6. Build Other relationships
7. Overall judgment – Way to Evaluate.

V. Comparison in Conclusion
Author’s conclusions: Two things are different/ Two things are the same
 Two things are the same but Reasons suspect
 Two things are different but Reasons suspect
1. Two things are The Same – No Effect, but Reasons are Suspect – Anti-Causal
By comparing two things he/she says that two things are The Same. But reasons are
suspect.

Many corporations have begun decorating their halls with motivational posters in hopes of
boosting their employees’ motivation to work productively. However, almost all employees
at these corporations are already motivated to work productively. So, these corporations’ use
of motivational posters is unlikely to achieve its intended purpose.

Without posters with posters

Evidence Motivated motivated
Conclusion The same motivation – no change
Mission: How could These Worlds Be Different?

Anti-causal: Highlight the difference that makes them unfair to compare.

2. Two things are different: One is more/less + adj but Reasons Are Suspect
By comparing two things he/she says that one is more/less + adj. But reasons are suspect

Mission: How could These Worlds Be the same?

VI. Question Based Missions:

1. Strengthen - Show Similarity

Mantra in solving the questions: Strengthen – I want to Make Things Fairer To Compare

I want to Show Similarity between things

2. Weaken - Show Difference

Mantra in solving the questions: – I want to point out some important differences between
things.

I want to Show Difference between things

3. Assumption –Similarity and Difference

4. Paradox - New Difference To Explain Surprising Result

We Need A New Difference To Explain Surprising Result

Involves two different things, two different groups or timeframes and there will be some
difference that is surprising.

5. Most supported - Complete the analogy

We need to Find Similar Aspect

Example: we would need a musical version of bad morning: bad reaction from audience, bad
opening.

6. Flaw

Mantra: Show the Difference

VII. Explanations on Comparison patterns

1. Plans/Recommendations –
Luisa wants to improve her RC. Since mindfulness breathing improves concentration, she
should start a mindfulness regiment.

Comparison: Present World Without Plan vs. Future World after Following The Plan

So, you have to think about All The Trade-Offs between this World And That World

1st world vs. 2nd world

Improves concentration

What else it would do? Would it waste 20 minutes of hard exercise

2. Overall Value Judgments – Conclusions decide: On the Whole This Thing is Good or
This Thing Is Bad

Unlike the new tablet from Snapple, Macrosoft’s tablet has a stylus. Thus, Macrosoft’s tablet
is better.

Pros

Pros /Cons (Snapple) Pros /Cons (Macrosoft)

 Stylus

3. Relative vs Absolute – Switching from Comparative to Absolute (Yes or No way).

It means that in Premise section Author Compares Relatively But in Conclusion Section
he/she Makes Absolute Statement.

The Eiffel Tower is shorter than the Empire State Building. Comparative

Thus the Eiffel Tower is short. Absolute meaning statement.

This year a higher percentage of entries to the cooking competition are chocolate chip
cookies. Apparently, more people decided to go with this classic choice than in years past.

% vs. #

Conclusion is based on comparison with numbers. How or why? Because: comparison is

made from percentages. Stop! Percentage vs. Number.

4. Anti-Causal – An Author Denies - One Thing Has An Effect On Something Else –the
same

With and without – Cause And Effect Comparison.

Harvey, unlike Frank, worked with a personal trainer. However, the trainer made no
difference, because each person lost ten pounds.

Comparison: Harvey vs. Frank or without trainer vs. with trainer

C: trainer and without trainer are the same. How? The same weight loss. Hmm… But you
know…

Differences: Time, weight type and maybe hardship

Mission: Highlight a difference that Makes Them Unfair To Compare.

Take away:

The author compares X and Y in that X has no A and Y has A. Basing on the fact that Y has A
he/she concludes that A has an effect on Y. Meaning that There is a cause and effect relationship.

So, Comparison with Cause and Effect relationship.

Example: Many corporations are trying to increase their employee’s motivation by hanging
posters on the walls. Since all workers are already motivated motivational posters would not
boost the motivation.

Question types – Strengthen, Weaken, Paradox, Most Supported, Necessary

Assumption(assumes similarity/dissimilarity), Flaw,

7. Strengthen/Weaken
Taj and Mable both baked brownies. Since, Lucy enjoys Taj’s brownies, she will also enjoy
Mable’s.

Two things being Compared are - Meaningfully Different

Mantra in solving the questions: Strengthen – I want to Make Things Fairer To Compare

I want to Show Similarity between things

Mantra in solving the questions: Weaken – I want to point out some important differences
between things.

I want to Show Difference between things

Assumption – A similarity/Difference

Paradox

Involves two different things, two different groups or timeframes and there will be some
difference that is surprising.

Jason started studying LSAT twice as much the last two weeks. Yet his most recent practice test
score was his lowest yet.

He expected that more studying leads to score improvement –Assumption.

So, what we need is something else: We Need A New Difference To Explain Surprising
Result – something has changed and affected the score negatively.

Difference – may be burnt out, may be studying only one hard section which accounts for
only 1 percent of the questions, changed his routine.

8. Most supported

2.1 A day is not going to go well if it starts with a bad morning. Similarly, a music is not going
to go well if it .

Complete the analogy – we would need a musical version of bad morning: bad reaction from
audience, bad opening.

a. We were not able to teach 3 year olds their phone number. Then we put it into a
song and they were able to learn it.

Difference between two things: teaching the number vs. putting it into song –Causal
Difference Maker.

9. Necessary Assumption

3.1 Assumes similarity

Hula hoops were a brief fad in the 1950s. Thus, despite the recent rise in popularity of hula
hoops, they will be forgotten again soon.
Comparison – timeframes: past vs. present

We are assuming the sameness – past is the same with present.

a. Assumes difference

Jeremy’s ad is well aimed at 20-30 year olds, but it has some questionable race issues. Thus, we
should go with Peggy’s ad.

Comparison – Jeremy’s ad vs. Peggy’s ad.

We are assuming a difference.

Flaw questions

The Carver skateboard I got from Lois broke within two months. Thus, Carver skateboards
must not be very durable.

Comparison: part vs. whole

Flaw – show difference: unrepresentative sample, may be It Is Unfair To compare to the typical
Carver skateboard.

Past vs Present

Assumes The sameness.

Jeremy’s ad is well aimed at 20-30 year olds, but it has some questionable race issues. Thus we
should go with Peggy’s ad.

Jeremy’s ad vs Peggy’s

Assumes difference.

Comparison reasoning involves three broad steps: case construction, comparison computation,
and summarization. The case construction step involves gathering all the facts relevant to the
comparison. Comparison computation involves comparing the input facts using the set theoretic
difference. Summarization sorts the output of the difference computation.

There are many ways to compare, for example:

 Compare what people have got (or not got) against what others have.
 Compare the past with the future.
 Compare what is actual with what is ideal.
 Compare words and actions against values.

Analogy
Fairly simple formula here
Strengthen by making the things analogized seem more relevantly similar
Weaken by pointing out a meaningful difference
X is better than Y
To truly judge that claim, you'd need
- all the pros/cons of X
- all the pros/cons of Y
- a way to weigh the pros/cons of X against the pros/cons of Y

So strengthen by "providing a pro about X or a con about Y or by saying that a pro about X is
more important than a pro about y".
Weaken by doing the opposite.

Two Groups involved in Sample/Experiment/Study

Arguments based on "two groups of bikers" typically have to assume that these two groups are
fair to compare on initial reference points
f.e. similar talent, equipment, age range, fitness, proneness to injury, etc.

You strengthen by making the two groups more similar, "controlling" for variables (if you like
the scientific method)
You weaken by doing the opposite

Try a few Str/Weak and see if you can add to any of these categories.