Reconciliation of two ideas:

Tip for this kind of passage:

When two people, ideas, or theories are presented within the first paragraph, ask yourself why the author chose to include more than one viewpoint in her writing. Does she intend to support one over the other? Claim that both are valid, or both erroneous? Reconcile one with the other? In this type of passage, seek to establish the basis of the comparison and which side, if either, the author favors. The rest of the passage should fall into place.

Rebuttal of Interpretation/Take issue with an interpretation:

Tips for this kind of passage:

When a passage begins with a "traditional" view, or a statement of what's "often" the case, watch out! Authors often cite such views up front as the basis for their subsequent opposition — in other words, as a setup for the author's assertion that the standard view is all wet.

Anticipate as you read! Keywords are crucial in this respect: This passage is humming along in a descriptive way until the word "however" shows up in the middle of the third sentence. That "however" announces that the author has more than a simple description up his sleeve.

Description:

Tips for this kind of passage:

Remember to read for structure first. Details can be located within the structure later if and when they become relevant.

If the author describes a person or a person's views, don't confuse the author with the person he or she is describing. Keep 'em straight!

If an author describes a viewpoint, always separate the author's demeanor from the tone of her topic. A passage may be about what is generally considered a passionate and controversial topic, yet the author's tone may be cool, dispassionate, and objective: "Just the facts, ma'am!" Questions asking about the author's style, tone or method will reflect this issue.

Compare/Contrast:

Tips for this kind of passage:

Once a compare and contrast structure becomes evident, start focusing on points of difference and similarity between the two viewpoints. On what aspects do they

differ? On what aspects are they similar? Are the two viewpoints essentially similar, or are they quite different or even contradictory?

How To Identify Structure

Now that we've identified the author's purpose and predicted some passage structures, let's take it a step further. How does the structure of a passage unfold, and how can it help us answer questions quickly and correctly? And, of course, how do we identify structure in the first place? Recall the following three points that appeared earlier in the lesson:

anticipate at each moment where the author is likely to go; paraphrase the text as you read; and use Keywords to follow the author's train of thought.

LSAT passages are well-organized structures. The ideas they communicate are arranged in a particular sequence in order to achieve a particular purpose. For this reason, the twists and turns the passage takes can be quite predictable, if we are reading with purpose and intent. Once we understand the path the passage takes, we can answer many questions without even referring back to the passage.

Let's use one of our previous examples to see how this works.

Identifying Structure:

Reading critically is an important Reading Comp skill. Always consider the main idea the author is trying to communicate in the given paragraph, and then anticipate where her argument should go in order to support that main idea. In the first paragraph, the author clearly emphasizes that Gerschenkron and Hough share specific similarities. At this point we can predict that the Compare/Contrast structure will focus on similarities rather than differences, and that the author will present evidence and details of such similarities in the succeeding paragraphs.  

Always scan the paragraph for Keywords; they are reliable clues that will help you determine the path of the author's argument, as well as the specific content that is contained in the paragraph. In this example, we were able to predict the introduction of additional evidence in paragraph 3 by the Keyword "First" in paragraph 2. If paragraph 2 and paragraph 3 contain details that support the two scholars' similarities, we will know where to go if we get a detail question that requires this information.

The fourth paragraph is the final paragraph, and so far the passage has supported the idea that Gerschenkron's and Hough's work is similar is fundamental ways. Now it's time for the author to wrap up her viewpoint. It's a bit late to change this viewpoint to start supporting their differences, so where else could the author go? She'll probably reconfirm their similarities, and perhaps make a statement about the significance of their work.

We saw in the Basic Reading Comp workshop that there are three main RC question types on the LSAT:

Global questions ask about an author's primary purpose or main idea. Inference questions ask you to read between the lines and to search for a choice

that's implied or suggested by the text. Explicit Text questions ask about something that is stated in the text. But there are more advanced question types that are also sure to show up on your

LSAT: Application questions require you to make a connection between the passage's

ideas and a new statement, set of facts, or hypothetical situation. Logic questions require you to evaluate the argumentative structure of the

author's writing.

Answer Global questions first. In particular, focus on Main Idea and Primary Purpose questions.Answer Explicit Text questions next. In particular, focus on those that contain line references. Answer Inference questions next. Base the order of these questions on level of difficulty.

Attacking Difficult Passages

Two common difficult types of passages are science passages and abstract passages. Science passages often deal with mechanisms found in nature or technical descriptions of scientific processes, while abstract passages often come from the realm of philosophy, economics, or the social sciences.

A Word of Advice: Don't try to read like an expert in the given field of a passage. Some test-takers think if a passage is about poetry, then they must read with all of the interest and vocabulary and background of a literary critic. If it's about geology, they think they must read like a geologist. But that's just not so! Literary critics, or geologists, or experts in any given field share language and background knowledge and interest that allow them to communicate with each other on levels of deep understanding. But someone who is not an expert in a given field can only be expected to pick up the bare bones of what is being communicated. The test-taker who can only be satisfied with 100% comprehension, who strains to "Get It All," will be in a terrible bind.

The next screen has the lowdown on how you can chop these "killers" down to size.

Attacking Difficult Passages, Continued

A few strategies to keep in mind when confronted with a beastly passage:

In a very real sense, dense passages should be read in precisely the same way as standard passages: focus on topic, scope, purpose, main idea (if there is one), paragraph structure and Keywords.

Note the location of details, but don't try to memorize them, and don't worry if not all of the details are immediately comprehensible. The broad outlines of the passage are important. You can always use the passage to look up abstract concepts, scientific details and technical terms if you need to do so for a particular question.

In abstract and scientific passages, drawing a mental picture of the "action" in the passage will often make the text more comprehensible.

Even though the prose and concepts expressed in abstract and science passages may seem difficult, you must keep to your gameplan:

Roadmap the passage. Use Keywords to help you navigate through the text. Paraphrase difficult text. Anticipate where the author is likely to go. And above all, skim past those details! The danger of getting bogged down in a

morass of information is even greater in difficult passages, so you really must be on your guard.

Let's get some practice with these toughies.

Paraphrase, paraphrase, paraphrase! There's lots of detail here, but there's really no need to get any fancier than this. We can always come back to this stuff if a question so demands.

The idea of Roadmapping a passage is to create links between its various elements, usually broken down by paragraphs. This science jargon here isn't telling a new story, but continuing the one begun in paragraph 1. Your Roadmap should highlight the gist of that story, and so far, despite all of the technical terms, the common element seems to be variations in DNA from individual to individual. Look to attack technical and abstract passages on this macro level! Don't get unduly bogged down in the details.

Our advice continues along the same lines: You need not understand every step in the process unless — and until — a question demands it.

The astute critical reader understands that this is in no way a deviation from the main plot of the passage; in fact, it’s a logical continuation.

If you see that the author is embarking on a lengthy description of a process, it's sometimes helpful to read the first sentence and the last sentence of such a

paragraph and skim the middle. As long as you can answer the question of why the paragraph is there, then you're attacking the passage as you should.

Our advice continues along the same lines: You need not understand every step in the process unless — and until — a question demands it.

The astute critical reader understands that this is in no way a deviation from the main plot of the passage; in fact, it’s a logical continuation.

If you see that the author is embarking on a lengthy description of a process, it's sometimes helpful to read the first sentence and the last sentence of such a paragraph and skim the middle. As long as you can answer the question of why the paragraph is there, then you're attacking the passage as you should.

Handling The Questions

Now that you've run through the passage, it's time to proceed to the questions. Remember that Reading Comp questions have a range of difficulty; some, in particular Global and Explicit Text questions, are quite easy, while others are known to be more challenging. In order to save time and effort on Test Day, always scan the question stems for a given passage to determine which can be answered most quickly. Very often, you will find that Kaplan's recommended order will work best. Sometimes, however, you will find that a seemingly difficult Inference question, for instance, is easy. Always consider your own familiarity and comfort level with the passage content before ordering the questions.