Reading Comprehension - Chapter 2: The Basics of Reading Comprehension

The Section Directions

"Each set of questions in this section is based on a single passage or a pair of passages. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage or pair of passages. For some questions, more than one of the choices could conceivably answer the question. However, you are to choose the best answer; that is, choose the response that most accurately and completely answers the question. The test makers indicate that you are to use the statements of the author of the passage to prove and disprove answer choices. You do not need to bring in additional information beside what the average Canadian would generally know. To pick the best answer you should read all five answer choices in each question.

Your Attitude While Reading

A positive attitude is perhaps the most underrated factor in LSAT success. Virtually all high-scoring students expect to do well and this mindset helps them to avoid distractions during the exam and overcome any adversity they might face.

Basic Passage Strategy #4

After reading the passage, stop for a moment and consider the entirety of the author's message and what you've been told, as well as by whom. You can be explicit in your analysis rather than worrying about "reading between the lines" at this point.

Basic Passage Strategy #2

Always read the passage first. Read for an understanding of the structure and detail, viewpoints and themes, and the author's tone. Underline, highlight or make scratch paper notes as needed to help you understand what is being said.

Basic Passage Strategy #5

As you move to the questions, generally expect to complete them in the order given. Plan on returning to the passage when necessary to confirm your answers.

Basic Passage Strategy #1

At the start of the section, quickly preview the four passage sets, and choose the one you feel most comfortable with from a topic standpoint. If all else is equal, choose the one with the most questions. Usually the first passage is not the most difficult one, so if you like the topic, start there.

Your Focus While Reading

Do not zone out while reading the passage. Giving yourself the simple instruction, "read the passage," allows your mind too much free reign to wander. Instead, you should take a more active approach, breaking down the passage as you go, creating something of a running translation, and effectively mentally outlining the passage. You must train yourself through practice to keep your concentration at a high a level as possible. You must regularly practice a focused attack when you are reading to ensure an optimal performance.

Basic Passage Strategy #3

Focus on understanding what is being said in each sentence and paragraph, which means you cannot skin or read so fast the words make little sense. At the end of each paragraph, pause briefly and consider what you have just read, and mentally distill the key points of that paragraph into a quick summary that translates the test into simpler terms. Note too how the paragraphs fit together to create the overall passage structure.

Basic Passage Strategy #6

If you encounter a question too difficult or confusing to answer, skip it and return to it after completing the other questions in the passage set.

Why Reading Comprehension?

It provides a test of skills particularly important to both law students and attorneys: law students are required to read significant portions of dense test throughout their legal studies, and lawyers must often be ready to do the same in their normal course of business.

The Two Passage Types

Prior to 2007 RC consisted of four long passages followed by questions which were known as Long (or Single) Passages and are still predominant on the LSAT. After 2007 one long passage set was replaced with what is called the Comparative Reading wherein two passages address the same topic as presented and questions follow. Thus this section breaks down as follows: 3 - Long passages. 5-8 questions. 1 - Comparative reading passage of two shorter passages. 5-8 questions in total. Can appear anywhere in the section.

Recommendation:

Strongly recommended to become a routine daily reader of all manner of academic text - whether online or not - such as articles and content found in The Economist, National Geographic, Wired, Scientific American, The Wall Street Journal and any other sources of reasonably dense passages. Make it a habit to scrutinize at least one or two articles daily approached the same way as you would the LSAT.

Passage Sources and Creation

The adaptive process the test makers utilize - distillation of lengthy and complex material into a more generalized, more viewpoint-heavy RC passage - is one a successful test taker must mentally follow as well: when approaching LSAT passages your emphasis should be on big picture elements (main point, tone and attitude, general structure) instead of every detail, and also on the views and viewpoints presented, both the author's and those of other people/groups. Recognizing that this is the exact means by which the test makers convert source test into LSAT content should serve as a clear indicator of where your focus must be if you want to perform well. Second, because LSAC list the sources for each test, you have the ability to actually track down and read the same text the test makers found valuable enough to repurpose. This provides a significant amount of practice material, the reading of which could be very helpful in developing comfort and familiarity with the diverse variety of publications, topics and writing styles that you are likely to encounter on the test.

Approaching the Passages

The answer is that your basic strategy should be to: Read the passage in its entirety and then attack the questions. First read the entire passage with an eye towards capturing the main ideas, viewpoints, tone and structure of the passage and then proceed to the questions, answering them in order you encounter them unless the question is too difficult to answer. 1. DO NOT skim the passage 2. DO NOT read just the fest and last sentence of each paragraph 3. DO NOT scan the questions first

What's Really Being Tested?

Two basic concepts: your ability to understand what was said and your short-term memory. Thus, it is important to know what was said and to be able to remember where the author said it.

Passage Topics

Usually involves: 1 - Law-related passage 1 - Science passage 1 - Humanities passage featuring Diversity 1 - Random passage, often Humanities Can be drawn from a wide variety of sources including newspapers, magazines, books and journals, and tend to be written in a recognizable, academic style that generally evades simple analysis. Note that the topic of the passage is not necessarily indicative of the level of difficulty.

How is the RC set up?

You will encounter four passage sets with a total of 26 to 28 questions. There is 35 minutes to complete the section you have an average of e8 minutes and 45 seconds to complete each passage. However, this time will vary per passage depending on difficulty and question counts. In one sense moving through the section has a "roller coaster" aspect to it, where in some places you move very quickly and in other spots you slow down considerably.

When starting a section keep in mind:

· Channel any nervous energy into intensity · Enjoy reading the passages - make them into a game or leaning exercise. And regularly remind yourself that you do enjoy it (even if it feels a bit contrived). · If you lose focus, immediately pause, take a deep breath, refocus and then return more intently to the task at hand. · Read aggressively not passively! Actively engage the material and think about the consequences of what you are reading. The passage was written for a reason, what is it?

Here are two common methods to make passages more interesting and a positive experience:

· Many students approach the passages as academic learning exercises and hope to find some fun new fact or interesting information. When you begin reading with the expectation that you will learn something new, the passage becomes easier to read and more engaging. · Some students approach the passages as puzzles to solve, as if they have been challenged to navigate a maze of sorts (and this is a fairly accurate description). For certain personalities, the idea of a beatable challenge stimulates their competitive nature and makes it easier for them to focus.