LSAT PrepTest 44 Section 1 Question Explanation | Reading Comprehension

I didn't write the following blog post. It was already on the blog when I took over the URL. The following blog post may contain mistakes. -Steve

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This Reading Comprehension question is from the October 2004 LSAT.

First, let's look back at the paragraph summaries we wrote down during Question 6:

Paragraph 1 = historiography of frontier is by white explorers and written down

Paragraph 2 = should consider actions of Asian immigrants in frontier

Paragraph 3 = Chinese had an important view of and impact on the land

To this, we'll add:

Author's opinion = using actions as sources helps historiography by broadening it

Now, can we pre-phrase this question? Not really, since the author could disagree with a number of different things. So we'll just have to look at the answer choices, keeping in mind our summaries, and eliminate four of them.

A) Not likely, because the author says history "cannot confine itself
to a narrow record of experience" (line 28) and wants all perspectives. Why would he disagree with a statement that promotes the inclusion of some group's experience? Our "author's opinion" summary helps here.

B) No, he says "some historiographers have recently recognized the need to
expand their definition of what a source is" (16). Our Paragraph 2 summary and looking back at the passage helps here.

C) No, for the same reasons as A. The "author's opinion" summary shows the first part isn't something he'd disagree with; it surely adds to the history. And since he wants all perspectives, and the Asian perspective is just one, he wouldn't disagree that it "does not complete" the history.

D) No. Our summary of Paragraph 2 answers this.

E) Correct. This choice is beyond the scope of the passage. The author never says that the expanded definition of a source is useful only for looking at the Asian experience.

Remember:

1) Read the passage carefully but not too slowly before looking at the questions. You can't remember all the questions while reading the passage anyway, and you'll end up searching for answers for so long if you don't read the passage that it will waste time.

2) Write short summaries of each paragraph, just a word or two, next to it, to give you an idea of its structure and where key evidence can be found, since you can't memorize it all.

3) Look back at the passage whenever necessary. Again, your object is to understand it, not memorize it.

4) Eliminate answers one-by-one if you cannot pre-phrase a response.

5) Watch out for answer choices beyond the passage's scope.