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5 Hardest LSAT Reading Comprehension Passages

LSAT Blog Hardest Reading Comprehension PassagesI've already listed the 10 Hardest Logic Games, but a list of the 5 Hardest Reading Comprehension Passages is long overdue.

This list is focused on exams published 2000-2010. (See the list of every LSAT PrepTest.)

These make for great bathroom/beach reading. Enjoy!

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1. PrepTest 35 (October 2001), Passage 4 - Ronald Dworkin and Legal Positivism vs. Moralism (p234 in Next 10)

2. PrepTest 49 (June 2006), Passage 4 - Maize

3. PrepTest 50 (October 2006), Passage 4 - Riddled Basins of Attraction

4. PrepTest 55 (October 2008), Passage 3 - Maxine Kingston and the Chinese talk-story

5. PrepTest 59 (December 2009), Passage 3 - Isamu Noguchi and Sculpture

Also, here are some Difficult LSAT Logical Reasoning Questions.

Photo by dalvenjah

17 comments:

  1. Drew DreyerJune 5, 2009 at 11:00 PM

    I have been following your schedule and I just took prep test 55. What the hell is the difference between "scholarly appreciation for its longstanding tradition" and "clear respect for the diversity of its ancient sources." It was the only answer I missed and I am a little miffed by the inanely subtle distinction...if any.

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    1. AnonymousOctober 27, 2012 at 8:24 PM

      I would think of it as a difference between personal and professional ('scholarly' and 'clear respect'. Note also that 'clear' is a strong word, so if there is even one concession or drawback that the author admits, then 'clear' might be a wrong choice. 'Scholarly' appreciation would, to me, seem like a professional appreciation, but one that is not necessarily as strong of an opinion. Main point, "clear respect" seems like a stronger (and personal, in contrast to "scholarly" being professional) opinion than "scholarly" is.

      Delete
  2. JamieJune 6, 2009 at 12:20 AM

    Oof. I was about to ask, "What about Aida Walker, or Cohesion and Groupthink" until I looked back and realized that, on their own, they aren't too scary. Put them together and I get my milk money stolen.

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    1. SarahJanuary 31, 2012 at 1:17 PM

      I know you wrote this years ago. But I just got dominated by that RC section. Seriously painful. Glad to know that it wasn't just me though.

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    2. UnknownSeptember 14, 2013 at 10:57 PM

      Same ... wow .. what a brutal RC section

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    3. AnonymousSeptember 18, 2013 at 12:07 PM

      I just had my world shattered by this RC section... Aida Walker and Cohesion Groupthink... actually wanted to curl up and cry...

      Delete
    4. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2013 at 4:57 PM

      Same here.. ;(

      Delete
  3. AnonymousJune 6, 2009 at 3:21 PM

    Drew, the crucial phrase that you (tellingly) transfer incorrectly is "artistic sophistication," not "tradition." The phrase it most directly refers to is "already ancient and capable of producing masterpieces." Masterpieces must be artistically sophisticated. On the other hand, though the author has respect for the ancient sources, no where does it say that these sources are diverse. In fact, it was a single heritage that was "transplanted" into a new culture. As often with the LSAT, the distinction hinges on a single word.

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  4. AnonymousJune 16, 2009 at 7:32 PM

    ugh, just did PT 45. Got all the questions right about the Hippocratic oath right, but three wrong on the stupid Canadian aboriginee passage!

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    1. AnonymousAugust 21, 2012 at 2:29 AM

      I'll trade you. Hippocratic oath beat me to the floor and stole my pocket change. I had trouble distinguishing between the author arguing to preserve the key intent of the oath, and the author arguing that the oath needed changes that allowed the key intent to still remain intact. As it turns out, that that misunderstanding cost me three missed questions :/

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  5. AnonymousJuly 1, 2009 at 6:07 AM

    Cohesion-Groupthink (preptest #54) ate me alive. missed 5 of 8. It is the toughest I have seen on any test so far.

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  6. SpSeptember 13, 2009 at 9:33 AM

    Similar to the commenter from June 16th, I aced the Hippocratic Oath and bombed (also 3 wrong) the Canadian First Nations passage - and I'm a Canadian who studied indigenous rights issues! Sigh. Guess I got complacent.

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  7. gregAugust 11, 2011 at 10:45 PM

    I would say no list of hardest passages is complete with mention of "code switching" from PT 43

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  8. gregSeptember 3, 2011 at 12:33 AM

    Yup Aboriginal Rights passage killed me. Not too bad on Hippocratic.

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  9. UnknownSeptember 11, 2013 at 10:51 AM

    What about preptest 48, the passage about Gluck! The questions were extremely tricky and difficult even though the passage itself was easy to get through.

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  10. Warren DouglasMarch 3, 2021 at 6:10 AM

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    ReplyDelete
  11. UnknownApril 21, 2021 at 2:46 AM

    Nice article. Highly recommended. The thoughts are clear and well explained. Thankyou for sharing your work, truly worth reading.
    Chinese Comprehension

    ReplyDelete