Test-takers must understand causal arguments and how to distinguish them from statements of conditional logic.

Of course, the post hoc principle is not completely irrelevant to causal reasoning. (In other words, it is not a Red Herring to cite temporal succession as part of an argument for a causal conclusion.

When in doubt, look for words associated with cause and effect. It helps that there are not many ways to describe causal logic in the English language. Look for phrases like: “because of ...