1.01 Summarizing the Main Conclusion

Steps

For these types of questions, you need to do the following 3 things in order…

1. Read the question and realize that you are dealing with a ‘Summarizing the Main Conclusion’ type question
2. Read the passage and look for the conclusion, when you have found it, underline it
3. Match what you have underlined with one of the answers

Conclusions

A conclusion as it relates to the IMAT critical thinking section can be defined as the following…

1. The most important opinion of the author 
2. The reason the author wrote the passage
3. The essence of the passage

Ask yourself ‘what is the author trying to convince me of? What is the reason they wrote this passage’? 

Conclusion Signals

Remember that a conclusion is the writers opinion. There are some signal words that hint that an opinion is coming, these signal words include (but are not limited to) …

• ‘‘In conclusion…’’
• ‘‘To sum up…’’
• ‘‘Therefore…’’
• ‘‘Thus…’’
• ‘‘Hence…’’
• ‘‘It thus stands to reason…’’
• ‘‘It then goes without saying that…’’

Also remember that the conclusion expresses what the author wants to convince you of. There are some signal words that hint that this is coming…

• ‘‘should…’’
• ‘‘could…’’
• ‘‘must…’’
• ‘‘it is vital that…’’
• ‘‘it is of uttermost importance…’’
• ‘‘we thus need to…’’