The best thing about the LSAT is that it\u2019s an open-book test. You\u2019ll get better scores on the Reading Comprehension passages on the LSAT as long as you keep in mind the fact that you can ALWAYS refer back to the passage. Luckily, we don\u2019t have to rely on memory alone! This is great practice for law school, as you\u2019ll be spending a lot of time researching and reading dense materials.<\/p>\n
To answer LSAT detail questions, find where the detail is located. This is best done by reading actively on the first pass, gathering the main gist, and making notes on the passage on your scratch pad as needed. Put your finger on the paragraph when you\u2019ve found it on your screen, re-read the relevant info, make a prediction, and then eliminate the incorrect choices.<\/p>\n
How can you recognize Detail questions? Like many LSAT Reading Comp questions, they have predictable phrasing and include specific verbiage. Phrases like \u201caccording to the passage,\u201d \u201caccording to the author,\u201d \u201cas stated in the passage,\u201d and \u201cthe author describes\u201d are all clues that you are looking at a detail question.
Once you\u2019ve recognized the question type, look for the \u201ckey phrase\u201d \u2013 what kind of detail is being asked about? Let\u2019s look at this sample question:<\/p>\n
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We can tell this is a detail question because of the phrase \u201caccording to the author.\u201d The \u201ckey phrase\u201d here is \u201cmotivation\u2026building of the Arc.\u201d We\u2019ll need to scan back through the passage, asking ourselves where did the author discuss WHY the Arc was built? These key phrases help you refer back to the passage quickly and effectively.<\/p>\n
Once you go to the answer choices, learn to identify the most common wrong answer traps. For detail questions, incorrect answers will often (1) distort the detail, (2) contradict the detail, or (3) answer a different question. Distortions may be answer choices that are \u201chalf-right\u201d or ones that take the correct answer in an extreme or negative direction.<\/p>\n
While other sorts of Reading Comprehension questions ask for information drawn directly from the corresponding passage or passages, some ask for for you to draw inferences from that information. Inference questions require that you reach further, get a little creative, and move past the literal.<\/p>\n
That said, these questions are not necessarily difficult. In fact, most are quite easy, involving assumptions regarding the main ideas stated in the passage or passages. When reading the relevant passage or passages, it is often helpful to underline or otherwise mark the author\u2019s main ideas and important lines of reasoning. This method will help with all questions in the section, but it will be particularly helpful for inference questions, which, again, often draw upon those main points and ask you to make assumptions regarding them.<\/p>\n
Recognizing inference questions is typically fairly obvious, as most ask for you to identify things such as what can be \u201cinferred\u201d from the materials, what \u201cassumptions\u201d are made in the passage, or \u201cimplications\u201d or \u201csuggestions\u201d that the author has made.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve recognized an inference question, as with other types of Reading Comprehension questions, it it often helpful to note the answer options that are almost definitely incorrect. These may involve one or several of the following: absolute language (e.g., something is \u201calways\u201d or \u201cnever\u201d true), assumptions that do not relate directly to the passage\u2019s main ideas (or the passage at all!), or inferences that contradict or misstate the author\u2019s views.<\/p>\n
With these simple rules in mind, you should be able to spot inference questions quickly and easily, and — almost as easily — eliminate those answers that are wrong. Then move on to the answers you haven\u2019t eliminated and look for those that follow most logically the main idea or viewpoint of the author of the relevant passage or paragraph.<\/p>\n
Next:<\/strong> Reading Comprehension: Function and Organization<\/a><\/p>\n
Previous:<\/strong>\u00a0Reading Comprehension: Main Idea, Scope, & Tone<\/a><\/p>\n