In LSAT terminology, the term used for the trigger of an If-Then statement is called the

• A. Sufficient term
• B. Necessary term
• C. Trigger term
• D. Consequence term

Answer: (A)

In an If-Then statement, the part right after the If supplies a sufficient condition for the result that follows. So the trigger of the statement is the sufficient term: if P happens, then Q must follow. That means P is enough to guarantee Q, though Q might occur for other reasons as well. For example, if it rains, the street gets wet. Rain is enough to make the street wet, but the street can be wet from other causes too, so rain isn’t the only way for wet streets to occur.

The alternative terms don’t fit because the necessary term is the thing that must occur for the trigger to work (which is the converse idea), and the consequence term refers to the result, not the trigger. The phrase “trigger term” isn’t the standard LSAT label, whereas the trigger of an If-Then statement is correctly described as the sufficient term.