LSAT Reading Comprehension: Applying and Evaluating What You Read

Application to New Context

Questions that ask you to apply an idea from a passage to a new scenario, judging how well the idea holds based on the passage's logic.

Why it matters

Demonstrates the ability to use an author's framework and reasoning in new situations, similar to legal reasoning.

Key feature

Correct answers are constrained by the logic of the passage, not by personal opinion.

Step 1 in Application

Locate the 'exportable' idea in the passage, often a principle or definition.

Step 2 in Application

Abstract it into a clean rule or test, rephrasing in your own words.

Step 3 in Application

Identify the new context and what the question is asking you to do.

Step 4 in Application

Match the new scenario to the rule, examining relevant facts.

Step 5 in Application

Choose an answer based on passage-consistent reasoning.

Analogy in RC

Questions that require identifying a similar underlying structure between two situations.

Why Analogy matters

It tests the ability to recognize patterns in reasoning and apply them to different contexts.

Step 1 in Analogy

Identify the source relationship and its nature (cause and effect, part-to-whole, etc.).

Step 2 in Analogy

State the relationship as a template for clarity.

Step 3 in Analogy

Scan answers for a structural match before subject matter.

Step 4 in Analogy

Eliminate mismatches based on the relationship type or directionality.

Strengthen Questions

Ask for information that makes the author's claim more likely to be true.

Weaken Questions

Ask for information that makes the claim less likely to be true.

Evaluate Questions

Ask which information would be most useful for judging the soundness of the claim.

Step 1 in Strengthen/Weaken

Find the argument core: identify the conclusion, support, and assumptions.

Step 2 in Strengthen/Weaken

Identify the vulnerability of the argument that could be altered.

Step 3 in Strengthen/Weaken

Predict what information would strengthen or weaken the argument.

Step 4 in Strengthen/Weaken

Choose the answer that most directly addresses the argument's vulnerability.

Comparative Reading

Involves understanding and analyzing two related passages for relationships in claims.

Why Comparative Reading matters

Reflects real academic tasks of analyzing multiple perspectives on a topic.

Step 1 in Comparative Reading

Read Passage A for its structure and main point.

Step 2 in Comparative Reading

Read Passage B as a response to Passage A and identify the relationship.

Step 3 in Comparative Reading

Articulate the relationship between the passages in a single sentence.

Step 4 in Comparative Reading

Answer questions about agreement, response, or differences strategically.

Common pitfalls in Application

Confusing rules, overgeneralizing, or importing personal assumptions.

Common pitfalls in Analogy

Matching based on surface similarity rather than structural logic.

Common pitfalls in Strengthen/Weaken

Evaluating from personal beliefs instead of the argument's support.

Common pitfalls in Comparative Reading

Blending the passages or misidentifying each passage's main point.