Passage Flashcards
7 cards from real LSAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Passage flashcards as text
A passage discusses the evolution of administrative law and states: 'Chevron deference instructed courts to defer to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes.' A 'what can be inferred' question asks about the relationship between courts and agencies under Chevron. The best inference is:
Answer: Courts were directed to defer to agency expertise when statutory language was unclear
Chevron deference means courts defer to reasonable agency interpretations when a statute is ambiguous, preserving but limiting judicial review.
An LSAT passage describes a reform proposal and lists its benefits in paragraph 2, then paragraph 3 presents practical obstacles to implementation. The author's purpose in including paragraph 3 is most likely to:
Answer: Present a complete picture by acknowledging challenges alongside benefits
By presenting both benefits and practical obstacles, the author provides a balanced, comprehensive analysis rather than one-sided advocacy.
A Reading Comprehension question asks you to identify the 'primary purpose' of a passage. The passage describes a scientific controversy, presents evidence on both sides, and concludes that more research is needed. Which answer best captures the primary purpose?
Answer: To survey competing perspectives on an unresolved scientific question and call for further investigation
When a passage presents multiple sides and ends with a call for more research, its primary purpose is to survey an open debate and advocate for further study.
In a passage about property rights, the author writes: 'The bundle of rights theory conceives of property not as a monolithic entitlement but as a collection of separable sticks.' What does the 'bundle of sticks' metaphor most likely convey?
Answer: Property ownership consists of multiple distinct rights that can be held or transferred separately
The bundle-of-sticks metaphor in property law illustrates that ownership is composed of separable rights (use, exclude, transfer, etc.) rather than one indivisible entitlement.
An LSAT passage describes research showing that eyewitness testimony is unreliable, then discusses why courts still admit it. A question asks what the passage implies about the legal system's response to psychological research. The best answer is:
Answer: The legal system has been slow or reluctant to apply scientific findings that contradict longstanding practices
The contrast between known unreliability and continued admission implies institutional inertia or reluctance to fully incorporate scientific findings.
A passage uses the phrase 'to be sure' before presenting an opposing point and then immediately follows with 'but.' What is the rhetorical structure being employed?
Answer: The author is conceding a point before reasserting the main argument
'To be sure... but' is a classic concession-then-rebuttal structure: acknowledge the opposing point's validity, then re-establish the author's own position.
A passage about international trade law states that country A's tariff policy violated WTO rules, but country A argues the tariff was justified under a national security exception. A question asks what role the national security argument plays in the passage. It most likely serves to:
Answer: Present a defense or justification that country A invokes to counter the violation finding
Country A's national security argument functions as a legal defense or justification offered in response to the finding that its tariff violated WTO rules.