{"id":92,"date":"2015-12-10T12:00:12","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T20:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/?p=92"},"modified":"2019-04-19T07:19:45","modified_gmt":"2019-04-19T14:19:45","slug":"what-does-some-mean-on-the-lsat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/what-does-some-mean-on-the-lsat\/","title":{"rendered":"What does “Some” Mean on the LSAT?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re an adult and a native English speaker, and you\u2019re asking this question, there\u2019s a pretty good chance you\u2019re studying for LSAT Logical Reasoning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some<\/em> is an extremely common word that, like most extremely common words, we largely take for granted in daily usage. But when it comes up over and over and over again in surprisingly difficult questions on an exam, you might start to doubt your understanding of this tricky little word.
\n <\/p>\n

One or More<\/h2>\n

Fortunately, it\u2019s really not that tricky at all. Some<\/em> means one or more<\/em><\/strong>. If we really wanted to get technical, we could say that it means any amount except none or no<\/em>. Thus, when I ask you to give me some Skittles, you can technically satisfy my demands with one measly lemon Skittle, though we all know that isn\u2019t what I\u2019m hoping for. If I ask you to pass me some mashed potatoes, it would be rather difficult for you to pass me one or two or three mashed potatoes, so you can just give me a spoonful or a bowlful–or even a handful, which again is technically correct but also disappointing. Basically, anything more than no mashed potatoes would be fine.<\/p>\n

One and All<\/h2>\n

One important thing to remember about some is that it can mean both one and all<\/strong>. Overlooking these two possibilities is the most common some<\/em>-related mistake that people make on the LSAT. Here\u2019s an example of where you might be led astray:<\/p>\n

    \nAll widgets are gadgets and one particular widget is also a gizmo. Therefore, some
    \ngadgets are gizmos.\n<\/ol>\n

    In this case, it\u2019s true that some gadgets are gizmos because there is at least one particular widget that is both a gadget and a gizmo. At least one<\/em> fits the definition of some<\/em>, so this works out.<\/p>\n

    Obviously, the above example is not as nuanced as some of those you\u2019ll find on the actual LSAT, but hopefully it gives you an idea of where mistakes might occur. Specifically, most test-takers who misconstrue some<\/em> assign it an overly-specific definition. They think it means more than one and less than all<\/em>. That\u2019s limiting the definition just a bit too much.<\/p>\n

    If I told you that I hid $1,000,000 in cash at an office building, and that the money was above ground level, would you completely skip over the bottom floor and the roof? I sure wouldn\u2019t. Any good lawyer knows that \u201cabove ground level\u201d just means the money isn\u2019t sitting on the floor in the lobby. It could, however, be sitting on a table at the security guard\u2019s desk. It could also be taped to the ceiling of the top floor, or stuck inside an air conditioning unit on the roof. That\u2019s still technically \u201cat\u201d the office building.<\/p>\n

    In other words, interpret words as inclusively as possible on the LSAT<\/strong>. Some<\/em> doesn\u2019t mean none<\/em> or no<\/em>, but it can mean pretty much any other amount.
    \n 
    \nFor more on language like this, check out the posts on     many and most<\/em><\/a>, or vs. and, and various other formal logic topics, starting with If\/then statements and contrapositives<\/em><\/a>.
    \n 
    \n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you\u2019re an adult and a native English speaker, and you\u2019re asking this question, there\u2019s a pretty good chance you\u2019re studying for LSAT Logical Reasoning. Some is an extremely common word that, like most extremely common words, we largely take for granted in daily usage. But when it comes up over and over and over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[3856],"class_list":["post-92","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lsat-lr"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat does "Some" Mean on the LSAT? - Magoosh LSAT Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This post covers the technical meaning of the word "some," providing examples of how it can mean one, all, or more than one in a formal logic context.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What does "Some" Mean on the LSAT?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019re an adult and a native English speaker, and you\u2019re asking this question, there\u2019s a pretty good chance you\u2019re studying for LSAT Logical Reasoning.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/what-does-some-mean-on-the-lsat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Magoosh LSAT Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-12-10T20:00:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-04-19T14:19:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Travis Coleman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Travis Coleman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/what-does-some-mean-on-the-lsat\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/what-does-some-mean-on-the-lsat\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Travis Coleman\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#\/schema\/person\/2b0d4d89a6af649558a6201c09bd4254\"},\"headline\":\"What does “Some” Mean on the LSAT?\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-12-10T20:00:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/what-does-some-mean-on-the-lsat\/\"},\"wordCount\":542,\"commentCount\":5,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Logical Reasoning\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/what-does-some-mean-on-the-lsat\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/what-does-some-mean-on-the-lsat\/\",\"name\":\"What does \\\"Some\\\" Mean on the LSAT? 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With a JD from NYU and an English degree from Boston College, he's dedicated his career to fighting the forces of unnecessary legal jargon and faulty logic. 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