QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

PERSPECTIVE QUESTIONS (MBT SUBTYPE)

Elements of VP & T combined into "perspective" to capture idea behind both 2 categories: 1. Authors (AP): find answer best reflecting authors view on subject or attitude toward subject ex: "The author of the text would most likely agree with which of the following?" 2. Subject (SP): refer to person/group discussed in text; find answer best reflecting views/attitude of text subjects ex: "Given the text, which is Kant most likely to believe?"

PREPHRASING ANSWERS

Involves quickly speculating after reading the question what you expect to be the answer based on the text info; if possible instead of going directly from question to answers prephrase to help quickly find correct answers & eliminate incorrect answer

PRINCIPLE QUESTIONS (PR)

1. Not a separate question type but rather an overlay in a variety of question types; indicated by "principle" in stem; the PR indicator broadens & abstracts the question scope ex: "Which of the following principles can be most clearly said to underlie the authors argument in the third paragraph?" 2. A principle is a broad rule specifying what actions/judgments are correct in certain situations ex: "Some companies are profitable" isnt a principle because involves no rule & no judgment can be made from statement but "All companies strive to be profitable" is a principle applicable to any company 3. The degree of principles can vary ex: "Kids at Madison School must wear uniforms" is restricted to only those kids & no others but "Any person of voting age is obligated to vote" applies to many diverse groups of people

EXPANSION QUESTIONS (MBT SUBTYPE)

Extrapolate ideas from text to determine where passage was drawn from or how it could be titled, what sentence or idea could come from text, or what sentence or idea could follow the text ex: "Which of the following would be the most logical continuation of the last paragraph?"

MAIN POINT QUESTIONS (MBT SUBTYPE)

Summarize text central focus; RC text length means MP may not appear in single sentence or even in any one part of text; effective prephrasing requires broad understanding of whole text & choosing answer most similar to prephrase ex: "Which statement best expresses main idea of text?" 2 common incorrect answers: 1. Those not encapsulating authors point 2. Those repeating text portions but not MP

ANSWER CHOICES

1. Correct answers in RC must meet the Uniqueness Rules of Answer Choices: "every correct answer has a unique logical quality that meets the criteria in the question stem; every incorrect answer has the opposite logical quality" ex: in a MBT question, logical quality of the 1 correct answer: MBT & logical quality of the 4 incorrect answers: opposite of MBT (or not necessarily true) 2. While reading answers sort them into contenders & losers; if answer seems immediately incorrect make it a loser & move on but if it could be correct keep as a contender & move on then return later to choose

PARALLEL REASONING

Find answer that contains reasoning most structurally similar to reasoning in a section of text; each answer is wholly a new argument thus you must evaluate 5 arguments in 1 question ex: "Based on the text the relationship between attorney & client is most analogous to the relationship between:" When approaching: 1. Only need basic outline of text contents because typically ask for parallel structure of a section or paragraph 2. Choose answer most similar in structure to text outline 3. If choosing between several answers simply compare other text elements, i.e. intent of author

WEAKEN QUESTIONS

Find answer that undermines position as decisively as possible; phrase "which of the following if true" usually indicates Weaken or Strengthen question ex: "Which of the following if true would most call into question position of critics in line 22?" When approaching: 1. Isolate & assess position you are attacking 2. Know details of text 3. Accept answer choices as given even if they include new info

MAIN POINT QUESTIONS (MBT SUBTYPE)

Summarize text central focus; RC text length means MP may not appear in single sentence or even in any one part of text; effective prephrasing requires broad understanding of whole text & choosing answer most similar to prephrase ex: "Which statement best expresses main idea of text?" 2 common incorrect answers: 1. Those not encapsulating authors point 2. Those repeating text portions but not stating MP

MUST BE TRUE QUESTION SUBTYPES

1. Main point (MP) 2. Purpose/function (P) 3. Perspective: Authors (AP) & Subject (SP) 4. Organization (O) 5. Expansion (E)

LOCATION ELEMENT

"Location" in question stems give insight into where in the text to search for answers; divided into 3 types: 1. Specific Reference (SR): refer to specific text lines, paragraphs, or sentences; always go to specified text & begin reading 3-5 lines above reference or at start of paragraph 2. Concept Reference (CR): refer to text ideas/themes not identified by specific reference but by clear idea expression; searching point is usually known without reference 3. Global Reference (GR): ask about text as a whole or fail to identify defined area or isolate concept in stem; many can be answered during initial reading (e.g. understanding MP) but others require returning to text

TASKS COVERED BY SINGLE PASSAGES QUESTIONS

1. Describe MP or purpose 2. Describe structure & organization 3. Identify VP 4. Identify text details or proven statements 5. Describe meaning, function or purpose of words or phrases 6. Strengthen, weaken or parallel text elements 7. Augment or expand text

"EXCEPT" & "LEAST" IN QUESTION STEMS

1. In stems "except" means "other than" & negates logical quality of correct answer by turning question upside down; doesnt mean seek out polar opposite although the correct answer can be a polar opposite ex: "Which of the following if true strengthens the argument?" means correct answer strengthens BUT "Each of the following if true strengthens the argument EXCEPT:" means correct answer does anything other than strengthen (including but not definitively weaken) 2. In stems "least" is treated exactly as "except" but in any other context on LSAT has its usual meaning of "in the lowest or smallest degree"

ORGANIZATION QUESTIONS (MBT SUBTYPE)

1. Lines: find way in which lines relate to each other ex: "The logical relationship of lines 2 & 3 of the text is best described as..." 2. Paragraph: identify single paragraph structure or how paragraphs relate ex: "Which most accurately describes the organization of material in first & third paragraphs?" 3. Global: describe overall text structure ex: "Which best describes the organization of the text?"

MAIN READING COMPREHENSION QUESTION TYPES

1. Must be true/most supported: find answer best proven by text info 2. Main point: find text main focus 3. Strengthen: find answer that supports/strengthens authors argument in some way 4. Weaken: attack/undermine authors argument 5. Parallel reasoning: find answer with reasoning most structurally similar to reasoning in stimulus 6. Cannot be true: find answer that cannot be true or is most weakened by stimulus info

ANSWER TRANSFERRING

2 approaches: 1. Logical grouping: transfer answers all at once at logical break points throughout test; allows for faster transfer but can cause transcription errors ex: LR: transfer after each 2 page question group 2. Question by question: transfer after each individual question; consumes more time but increases transcription accuracy

CORRECT & INCORRECT ANSWERS FOR MUST BE TRUE QUESTIONS

Correct: 1. Paraphrased: restate portion of text differently 2. Combination: combine 2 or more text statements Incorrect: 1. Could be true or likely true: fail Fact Test 2. Exaggerated: too broad to be supported by text 3. New info: not found in text 4. Shell game: idea from text changed from original info 5. Opposite: complete opposite of info in text 6. Reverse: text elements rearranged into unsupported statement 7. Wrong view: question ask to find view supported by one text subject but gives answer choice supporting views of another 8. Hidden references: SR dictate one location but answer is in different location that touches on SR point

"MOST" & "BEST" IN QUESTION STEMS

Despite qualifiers "most" or "best" in stems there will only be one correct answer; test makers use these qualifiers to eliminate possibility of defending an answer that even slightly (but not certainly) sounds correct

MUST BE TRUE QUESTIONS

Dominant question type (over 60%) Proof to support answer must be in text, i.e. pass "Fact Test" ex: "Which of the following can be properly inferred from the text?" Approach dictated by location element: 1. SR: return to text & read from 3-5 lines above reference point or from start of paragraph (whichever is most logical) 2. CR: return to text reference area & review; more vague thus must rely on diagramming or memory for exact location of relevant info 3. GR: typically already know answer from initial reading; thus only refer to text to eliminate/confirm answers

STRENGTHEN QUESTIONS

Find answer that best supports text portion or specific view in text; answer can strengthen anywhere from 1-100% only requirement is for it simply help argument in some way; phrase "which of the following if true" usually indicates Weaken or Strengthen question ex: "Which of the following if true would lend most support to the claims of critics in line 2-7?" When approaching: 1. Identify what you want to strengthen 2. Personalize 3. Look for argument flaw (many times a missing premise) 4. Answer can strengthen argument just a little or a lot

CANNOT BE TRUE QUESTIONS

Find answer that cant be true or disagrees with text info; mentally prepare to eliminate answers that could be true or are possible; often use modifier "least" ex: "Which if the following is the author least likely to believe given the text?" 2 ways to think of CBT questions: 1. Polar opposite MBT questions: disprove instead of prove answer 2. Reverse Weaken questions: use stimulus info to attack an answer