LSAT RC Study Prep - The Basics

Passage Set

• a set comprised of each passage or pair of passages and its accompanying questions.

What is the passage set analogous to in the LR section?

The Stimulus

Long Passage

• aka single passage

• Long passages and their accompanying questions.

Comparative Reading Passages

• A set comprised of two passages on the same topic and its accompanying questions.

What bullets are in Bullet Arsenal #1?

• Viewpoint

• Structure

• tone

• argument

• main point

What does Bullet Arsenal #1 shoot for?

• VIEWstamp

• Shoots for the more abstract elements of the passage

What does Bullet Arsenal #2 shoot for?

• Text-Based Content

• Looks are the more concrete elements in the passage

What bullets are in Bullet Arsenal #2?

• Initial/Closing Information

• Dates and Numbers

• Definitions

• Examples

• Difficult Words or Phrases

• Lists and Enumerations

• Text Questions

What does Bullet Arsenal #3 shoot for?

• Shoots for Traps to avoid

What bullets are in Bullet Arsenal #3?

• Traps of Similarities/Differences

• Traps of Separation

• Trap of Proximity

• Trap of Inserted Alternate Viewpoint

• Trap of Chronology (Order/Cause)

• Trap of Passage Topic

What are the 3 bullet packs in the RC Passage Arsenal?

1. VIEWstamp

2. Text-Based Content

3. Traps

Traps of Similarities/Differences

• 1/6 of the traps

• This trap occurs when, in a continuous section of text, an author discusses in detail the items that have both similarities and differences.

Traps of Separation

• 1/6 of the traps

• A trap in which the main idea is bisected by similar but different (and often distracting) content in the middle.

Traps of Proximity

• 1/6 of the traps

• A trap built on the misconception that because two ideas are presented in close physical proximity to one another in the passage, that means they are related. That is not inherently the case.

Traps of Inserted Alternative Viewpoint

• 1/6 of the traps

• A trap in which test makers present several viewpoints in a  single passage, or even a single paragraph, forcing readers to track both the topical information and the various examples.

Traps of Chronology

• 1/6 of the traps

• Traps that relate to the placement and order of items within the passage.

• It has two subsets: traps of order and cause

Traps of Passage Topics

• 1/6 of the traps

• A trap built on the misconception that science-related topics are inherently harder than their humanitarian counterparts.

Traps of Order

• ½ of the Traps of Chronology

• A trap built on the misconception that because an event is discussed before another event, that the first event likely predated the second.

Traps of Cause

• ½ of the Traps of Chronology

• A trap built on the misconception that when one scenario is discussed before another, then the first item must have caused the second. This is not inherently the case.

Trap of Question Misdirection

• This trap occurs when the test makers use a specific line reference in the question stem to direct you to a place in the passage where the correct answer will not be found.