Argument structure: conclusion, premises and the gap

Why structure comes first

Bocconi lists verbal critical reasoning as one of the three item types in verbal reasoning: a short passage, then a question such as which condition would best support the thesis, and you should assume the passage is true. Whatever the question asks (support, attack, an assumption, a flaw), you cannot answer it until you know what the author is trying to prove and what they offer as proof. Reading for structure is the skill under every later lesson in this unit.

An argument has two kinds of parts:

• the conclusion: the claim the author wants you to accept;
• the premises: the reasons given for accepting it.

Everything else in the passage is scenery: background that sets the scene, a view the author rejects, or a concession the author makes before pushing on.

Finding the conclusion

The conclusion is often, but not always, the last sentence. Three tools find it wherever it is.

Indicator words. "So", "therefore", "thus", "hence", "it follows that", "this shows that" and "should" often introduce a conclusion. "Because", "since", "given that", "for" and "as shown by" introduce premises. Indicators are useful but not reliable: a passage may have none, or may use "so" inside a premise.

The "why should I believe that?" test. Pick a candidate sentence and ask why you should believe it. If other sentences in the passage answer that question, the candidate is a conclusion. If nothing in the passage answers it, the sentence is a premise or background: the author simply states it.

The "therefore" test. Put the candidate last and join the other sentences to it with "therefore". If the result reads naturally ("the market loses customers on match days; the car park is empty on Sundays; therefore the market should move to Sunday"), you have found it. If it reads backwards, try another sentence.

Conclusions are usually claims that go beyond fact: recommendations ("should"), predictions ("will"), explanations ("this is why") or judgements ("is overstated", "is the best option"). A sentence that only reports a number or an event is more often a premise.

Intermediate conclusions

Longer arguments run in a chain. A premise supports a claim, and that claim then supports the final point. The middle claim is an intermediate conclusion: it is supported by something and also supports something. Ask of every claim both questions: "Is it supported here?" and "Does it support something else here?" The main conclusion is the one claim that is supported but supports nothing further.

Supported in the passage?	Supports another claim?	Role
No	Yes	Premise
Yes	Yes	Intermediate conclusion
Yes	No	Main conclusion
No	No	Background, or a view the author does not hold

Opposing views and concessions

Many short arguments open with someone else's position: "Critics claim...", "Some argue...", "It is often said...". The author then answers it with "but", "however" or "yet". The opening view is not the author's conclusion; it is the target. The author's conclusion is usually the rejection of that view, or the alternative they propose.

A concession works the other way: the author admits a point against their own side ("even though the price per kilo is higher", "admittedly, a few users will struggle") and then argues that the conclusion holds anyway. A concession is neither a premise nor the conclusion.

The gap

Once you have the conclusion and the premises, compare them. The premises almost never prove the conclusion outright: the conclusion contains something new, a word or idea the premises do not cover. That difference is the gap. In one sentence: "The author goes from [what the premises establish] to [what the conclusion claims]."

Typical gaps:

• from a correlation to a cause (two things happened together, so one caused the other);
• from a sample to a whole group (the people surveyed stand for everyone);
• from a plan to its goal (the plan will work as intended);
• from one term to a different one (visit length to sales, complaints to satisfaction).

Every question type in the next lessons works on the gap. An assumption bridges it. A strengthener narrows it, a weakener widens it, and a flaw names it. Time spent naming the gap before you read the options is time saved on every option.

Assume the passage is true

The premises are given. Your job is not to doubt them but to judge whether they lead to the conclusion. A strong argument is one where the gap is small, not one whose facts you happen to agree with.