LSAT Passage 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: 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?
- To refute all economic theories about deregulation
- To introduce a specific exception that complicates a general claim (Correct answer)
- To argue that the telecommunications sector should be re-regulated
- To summarize the passage's main conclusion
Correct 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.
Question 2: A passage describes a legal doctrine and then presents three court cases. Which reading strategy best helps identify the passage's organizational structure?
- Reading only the first and last paragraphs
- Identifying how each case either supports, modifies, or challenges the doctrine (Correct answer)
- Memorizing the names of all judges mentioned
- Focusing exclusively on the dates of each case
Correct 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.
Question 3: An LSAT passage includes the phrase 'not unlike the pattern observed in.' What does this rhetorical construction signal to the reader?
- A direct contradiction is about to be presented
- The author is drawing an analogy between two phenomena (Correct answer)
- The author is dismissing a previously mentioned idea
- A concession to the opposing viewpoint is being made
Correct 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.
Question 4: 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?
- The passage argues against all forms of environmental regulation
- The passage presents multiple regulatory frameworks without taking a side
- The passage builds toward the conclusion that regulation is necessary but the debate concerns its form (Correct answer)
- The passage is primarily a historical account with no normative claims
Correct 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.
Question 5: 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?
- Questions asking the reader to identify logical flaws within Passage A only
- Questions asking how the author of one passage would respond to a specific claim in the other (Correct answer)
- Questions about the grammatical structure of both passages combined
- Questions requiring the reader to find the central metaphor shared by both passages
Correct 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.
Question 6: A passage's second paragraph begins with 'Critics, however, contend that...' After reading this, a test-taker should expect the paragraph to:
- Restate the first paragraph's argument verbatim
- Present objections or alternative views to what was established in the first paragraph (Correct answer)
- Provide statistical data supporting the first paragraph
- Introduce a new, unrelated topic
Correct 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.
Question 7: 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?
- The author is strongly asserting a definitive conclusion
- The author is being cautious and presenting tentative or contested claims (Correct answer)
- The author disagrees with all the scholars mentioned
- The author is quoting directly from a legal statute
Correct 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.
LSAT Passage 2
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?