LSAT Complete-the-Argument Questions: Filling the Blank
Fill-in-the-blank LSAT questions hinge on the word right before the blank. Learn to read the signpost and predict the answer before checking the choices.
2026-06-01 · 6 min read
What these questions test
Complete-the-argument questions end with a blank, usually after a transition word, and ask you to choose the phrase that best completes the reasoning. They are really inference or main-conclusion questions in disguise — the blank is just where the answer goes.
Read the word before the blank
The signpost word tells you what kind of statement belongs in the blank. "Therefore," "thus," or "hence" means the blank is a conclusion that follows from the evidence. "Because" or "since" means the blank is a premise that supports the prior claim. "However" or "yet" means the blank contrasts with what came before.
Identify that word first. It narrows the job before you read a single answer.
Worked example
"The new policy reduced paperwork for every department. Productivity, however, did not rise. The most likely explanation is that ______."
"Most likely explanation" plus the contrast tells you the blank needs a reason productivity stayed flat despite less paperwork — for instance, that paperwork was never the bottleneck. Predict that idea, then find the matching answer.
Verbloom trains you to lock onto the signpost word so the blank becomes a prediction, not a guess.
Frequently asked questions
Are complete-the-argument questions inference questions?
Often yes. When the blank follows "therefore," you are inferring a conclusion. When it follows "because," you are supplying support. The signpost word defines the task.
Should I predict the answer before reading the choices?
Yes. A short prediction based on the signpost word makes the correct choice easy to recognize and the trap answers easy to reject.
What's the most common trap?
An answer that is true or relevant but doesn't fit the logical role the blank needs — a premise where a conclusion belongs, or vice versa.
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