Passage Flashcards

In an LSAT Reading Comprehension passage, the author states: 'While many economists argue that deregulation invariably spurs innovation, the telecommunications sector provides a counterexample.' What is the primary function of this sentence?

Answer: To introduce a specific exception that complicates a general claim

The sentence introduces a counterexample ('telecommunications sector') to qualify the broader claim that deregulation always spurs innovation.

A passage describes a legal doctrine and then presents three court cases. Which reading strategy best helps identify the passage's organizational structure?

Answer: Identifying how each case either supports, modifies, or challenges the doctrine

Tracking whether each case supports, modifies, or challenges the doctrine reveals the passage's logical structure and the author's purpose.

An LSAT passage includes the phrase 'not unlike the pattern observed in.' What does this rhetorical construction signal to the reader?

Answer: The author is drawing an analogy between two phenomena

'Not unlike' is a double negative meaning 'similar to,' signaling that an analogy or parallel is being drawn.

A passage about environmental law ends with: 'Ultimately, the question is not whether to regulate, but how.' What does this closing statement most likely indicate about the passage?

Answer: The passage builds toward the conclusion that regulation is necessary but the debate concerns its form

The closing statement shifts the debate from existence to design of regulation, indicating the passage concludes that regulation is accepted and the real issue is its implementation.

According to typical LSAT RC conventions, a 'dual passage' set presents two passages on the same topic. What is the most common question type unique to dual passages?

Answer: Questions asking how the author of one passage would respond to a specific claim in the other

Dual-passage sets frequently ask how one author would react to, agree with, or dispute a claim made in the other passage.

A passage's second paragraph begins with 'Critics, however, contend that...' After reading this, a test-taker should expect the paragraph to:

Answer: Present objections or alternative views to what was established in the first paragraph

'Critics, however, contend that' signals a counterargument transition, so the paragraph will present opposing views to those in the prior paragraph.

When an LSAT passage author uses heavily hedged language such as 'it may be the case that' and 'some scholars suggest,' what does this most likely indicate about the author's stance?

Answer: The author is being cautious and presenting tentative or contested claims

Hedging language signals that the author is presenting uncertain, debated, or tentative claims rather than established facts.