1. 何为小词
在我们做GMAT逻辑题的时候时常会发现最后的出题点往往会落在一两个词上。这一两个词使原文的逻辑推论方向和最后的结论出现偏差，从而产生我们寻常说的Logical Gap。
用中文举一个简单的例子：
买花，买包，买小饰品是追女生的常用手段，而且成功率颇高。因此我如果给女神买花，买包，买小饰品的话，就很可能追到女神。
对于这篇文章而言，我们很容易发现，文章在结论的部分进行了概念的偷换，将女生换成了女神，从而使得逻辑推论方向和最后的结论出现了偏差（我们必然都知道女生和女神并不能简单等同）。知道了这个偏差后，其实我们在做题的时候也就能很好地进行判断文章的出题方向，选项十有八九是要点名这两者之间的不同。
在本文接下来的部分，我们将通过两道真题来看看小词的神奇。
2. 实战演练
2.1 例题一
Citizens of Parktown are worried by the increased frequency of serious crimes committed by local teenagers. In response, the city government has instituted a series of measures designed to keep teenagers at home in the late evening. Even if the measures succeed in keeping teenagers at home, however, they are unlikely to affect the problem that concerns citizens, since most crimes committed by local teenagers take place between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Which of the following, if true, most substantially weakens the argument?
A. Similar measures adopted in other places have failed to reduce the number of teenagers on the streets in the late evening.
B. The crimes committed by teenagers in the afternoon are mostly small thefts and inconsequential vandalism.
C. Teenagers are much less likely to commit serious crimes when they are at home than when they are not at home.
D. Any decrease in the need for police patrols in the late evening would not mean that there could be more intensive patrolling in the afternoon.
E. The schools in Parktown have introduced a number of after-school programs that will be available to teenagers until 6 p.m. on weekday afternoons.
2.2 例题一解析
这是OG12中一道中等难度的题目，文字简单，但是由于考点较细，所以做错且想不明白的学生不少。许多学生对于该题的逻辑链总结如下：
市民担心青少年犯罪问题——》政府决定晚上把青少年关在家里——》然而这个措施其实没用，因为大部分犯罪在下午3-6点。
乍一看这个逻辑链总结并没有什么问题，但如果用该逻辑链解题就会发现没有可选答案，所有选项都不靠谱。这就是忽略了小词的副作用，因为正确的逻辑链是这样的：
市民担心青少年严重犯罪的问题——》政府决定晚上把青少年关在家里——》然而这个措施其实没用，因为大部分犯罪在下午3-6点。
在精确定位出serious crimes这个小词之后，文章的出题点也就变得无比清晰，点出严重犯罪和犯罪不同的正确答案B也就跃然纸上不难理解了。
2.3 例题二
A recent report determined that although only 3 percent of drivers on Maryland highways equipped their vehicles with radar detectors, 33 percent of all vehicles ticketed for exceeding the speed limit were equipped with them. Clearly, drivers who equip their vehicles with radar detectors are more likely to exceed the speed limit regularly than are drivers who do not.
The conclusion drawn above depends on which of the following assumptions?
A. Drivers who equip their vehicles with radar detectors are less likely to be ticketed for exceeding the speed limit than are drivers who do not.
B. Drivers who are ticketed for exceeding the speed limit are more likely to exceed the speed limit regularly than are drivers who are not ticketed.
C. The number of vehicles that were ticketed for exceeding the speed limit was greater than the number of vehicles that were equipped with radar detectors.
D. Many of the vehicles that were ticketed for exceeding the speed limit were ticketed more than once in the time period covered by the report.
E. Drivers on Maryland highways exceeded the speed limit more often than did drivers on other state highways not covered in the report.
2.4 例题二解析
同样是OG12里的题，难度中偏上，是很多学生会一错再错的题目，甚至会有不少学生读完题目会觉得题目怎么可以说得这么有道理。许多学生总结题目的逻辑链如下：
3%的人装了电子狗，33%超速的人装了电子狗——》装了电子狗的人更经常超速
这样的逻辑链下，文章真的非常有道理，完美无瑕，无懈可击……可与之前的题目一样，这是没有注意到小词的恶果。正确的逻辑链应该是这样：
3%的人装了电子狗，33%被罚超速的人装了电子狗——》装了电子狗的人更经常超速
经常被罚超速的人和真的就是那些经常超速的人么？显然不是的，老司机的一大标准就是知道如何超速而不被抓。而我们的正确选项也正是针对这个点而出：
那些经常被罚款的，就是经常超速的人。在明晰了小词之后，这个答案也就不难理解。
3. 小词总结
小词的识别是一个熟能生巧的过程，但这个知识点熟练掌握之后，会对做题的速度和正确率有很大的帮助，而且还能协助我们攻克一些看起来毫无道理的难题。整体而言，小词有如下三个特点：
1. 完成对某个特殊对象的定义而使文章推论出现偏差；
2. 经常由架桥法联系使用；
3. 往往是一个去掉了也不影响文章阅读，似乎“无足轻重”的词；
但也不能过度依赖小词，特别是在题量积累还不足的情况下，盲目猜测小词很可能误入歧途。在我们的All In One课程中，帮助大家理解和使用小词将是我们着重解决的问题。
