lsat reading comprehension question types

common structural features

• The first paragraph introduces the main point

• The last paragraph sums up the main point

• The first sentence of each paragraph makes a claim

• The rest of the paragraph supports the claim made in the first sentence

common wrong choices

for main point questions

• Too narrow: One important thing to know about main point questions is that an option that captures something that is true about the passage, or something that is present in the passage is not necessarily the answer. Choices that are too narrow will accurately describe a part of the passage, but they’ll exclude the broader point.

• Too strong or extreme: Some distractors will draw upon a point that is made in the passage, but then take it further than can be directly supported. Be wary of “blanket” words like “always” “any” “all” “ever” and “never.”

• Beyond the scope: These wrong options bring in content that, while adjacently related, is ultimately outside of the scope of the passage. These choices feature ideas or information that you might reasonably expect to find in a larger excerpt from the same source document that the passage was taken from, but the statement simply can't be supported by info that is present in the text in front of you.

• Conflicts and contradictions: Some options contain language that is in direct conflict with information presented in the passage. These wrong choices can be the easiest to rule out, but many students find themselves drawn to strong statements on the opposing sides of arguments. It may be human nature that we sometimes find opposites attractive, but consider yourself warned — avoid these tempting distractors!

how to answer main point question types: what is the main point

task: accurately identify the central idea, main idea, or sum up the context of the passage, or give appropriate title for a passage.

NOT the same as primary purpose questions

type 1: what is the big idea

• identify the most important idea that the passage is trying to prove.. what is the idea that all the other information is there to support

type 2: sum up the passage

• find answer choice that sums up the most important information in the passage MOST COMPLETELY (most comprehensive and inclusive of steps taken in passage)

type 3: what’s a good title

• identify the title that touches the MOST on the central idea/main point of the passage

strategies to solve: predict main idea by stating it in your own words, underline important claims and contrast language, not author’s POV and how it differs from other opinions, after reading each passage state the main idea in your own words to ensure you comprehend it.

recognition: what’s in it

task: find the choice that describes idea expressed in passage OR identify the only choice that contains information NOT explicitly stated in the passage.

example: this passage includes information sufficient to answer which of the following questions?

Both passages refer to which of the following?

Which of the following is discussed in passage A but not in passage B?

strategies to solve: stated

• first pass at answers: eliminate choices with info not mentioned in passage.

• keyword search: if answer choice as unusual terminology, skim passage for it, if you can’t find it, cross choice out

• checkmark answer choices that contain info present in passage and star answer choices that you are not sure of

strategies to solve: stated except

• cross out answ

clarifying meaning: what does the author mean by this?

task: show that you understand the the use of a word, phrase, or term in the context of a passage (not just as the dictionary would define them) by choosing and alternative with an equivalent meaning.

type 1: find the synonym

which of the following phrases, if substituted for ___, would least change the meaning of the sentence?

strategies:

• before looking at answer choices, find the line of the term in question and then make your own to replace the term and THEN look at the answer choices for a match

• plug in the answer choices to the line and see which one accomplishes the question’s task the best

• wrong answers: answer choice offers definition that works using it’s common definition, but this definition doesn’t work in the context of the passage

type 2: find the referent (what earlier part of the passage a phrase is referring to)

“The phrase “____” (lines ____) can best be interpreted as referring to which one of the following?”

strategies:

• don’t assume the answer can only be found around the lines mentioned, sometimes answer is much earlier in the passage

type 3: interpret the meaning

“In writing ‘____’ (lines ____) the author of passage B most likely means that...”

“The author of passage A uses the phrase ‘X’ to refer to which one of the following ideas/concepts mentioned in passage B?”

strategies:

• predict by going back to location in passage to put things in your own words before even looking at any of the answer choices.

purpose of reference: why did the author include that

task: explain the function that a reference serves within the larger point being made.

The primary purpose of the first sentence of the fourth paragraph is to…

Both passages mention “this term” primarily in order to

strategies:

• think about why author included reference in your own words before looking at answers

• reread 2 lines above and 2 lines below reference to understand the purpose better

• review 1st sentence of the paragraph (the reference is supposed to act as support for the 1st sentence that usually has a claim)

• if that doesn’t work, review last sentence of paragraph and last sentence of preceding paragraph

• understand overall point author is making (maybe reference is included to support main idea)

common wrong choices

• answers that correctly address the content of the passage, but not the purpose of including the reference

organizing information: how does the passage work

task: understand how the structure of the passage works. identify the role each paragraph play within the larger point. what is the progression of ideas in the passage?

which choice describes the organization of the passage?

what is the relationship between the first paragraph and the last paragraph?

passage A, unlike passage B, seeks to advance its argument by

single passage strategies:

• read first and last sentence of the paragraph (to understand the progression of ideas from one claim or supporting idea to another)

• think about how the author builds their argument within each paragraph and from paragraph to paragraph

• does author state theory, present alternative theory, and and explain why one is most likely than another… this is how you should think about what they author does

common wrong choices:

• wrong order of how the argument is developed

• mischaracterizes the role of a particular paragraph plays in passage

• not true reflection of how the author structures/organizes/builds their argument

comparative passage strategies

• identify the strategy/approach used by both of the passages

  • wrong answers: eliminate any answers where at least one of the passages doesn’t use strategy described in choice

• which choice sums up the relationship between the 2 passages?

  • to identify how the passages relate to one another, first create an answer in your own words before looking at choices

    • does one passage talk about a problem and the other provide a recommendation OR is one passage more narrow in focus than another, etc

inferences about views/opinions: would they agree or disagree?

task: select an idea, position, or view that we can reasonably infer that the author (or person/group referenced in the passage) would agree with, based on information in the passage.

which of the following views about social media would be most likely to be endorsed by the Teacher’s Association?

The author of Passage A would be most likely to give which one of the following answer to the question posed at the end of the paragraph of passage A?

strategies:

inferences about information: what does this fact suggest?

task: according to facts and information in passage, if one thing is true, what else might or must be true?

• must be able to read between the lines, and determine which answer choice is the most strongly implied given the information in the passage

According to facts in passage, which choice would be most likely outcome of a territorial dispute between a blue jay and a red squirrel?

Which choice is the most strongly supported by information in passage?

Which one of the following can be inferred from the two passages taken together?

strategies:

inferences about attitudes: what is the author’s attitudes?

task: identify author’s attitudes towards a thing/idea/person/group or identity another person/group’s attitudes towards a thing/idea/person/group

the author’s view of the movie character is most accurately reflected in their use of which of the following words?

given the style and tone of each passage, which one of the following is most likely to correctly describe the expected audience of each passage?

strategies:

applying to new contexts: which choice demonstrates an extension of the information/ ideas discussed in the passage?

task: generalize ideas into a broader or analogous context…correctly apply a principle or idea presented in the passage to a new context presented in the choices.

Which of the following experiments is most likely to produce data that would be most relevant to the study described in the third paragraph?

Which one of the following conforms to the policy advocated by the author of passage A but not advocated by the author of passage B?

strategies:

discovering principles and analogies: what is the principle? which choice is analogous?

task: identify the choice that best expresses the principle used in a particular case or line of reasoning? identify the scenario that best demonstrates or is most similar to the situation described in the passage.

the relationship between documents in which of the choices is most analogous to the relationship between passages A and passage B?

which of the following principles is operative in the author’s argument?

strategies:

additional evidence: which of the following would strengthen/weaken the argument?

task: find the choice the strengthens or weakens a claim/line of reasoning presented in the passage

Which choice if true would seriously challenge (means weaken) the author’s claim?

Which of the following if true would most increase the likelihood that the author’s recommendation will be successful?

weaken: seriously challenge, weaken, cast doubt

strengthen: bear on the claims, strengthen, increase likelihood

strategies:

primary purpose: why did the author write the passage(s)?

task: identify the function of the passage as a whole. not the same as main idea questions (ask about what the central idea is). primary purpose questions ask about how the main point is developed or why the passage was written in the first place.

the author’s primary purpose/concern is

which of the following is the central purpose of both of the passages?

strategies: