Reading comp PrepTest 132 · Section 3 · Question 21

Passage

Questions 21-28  .        Computers have long been utilized in the sphere  . of law in the form of word Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Legal Studies


Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • An exciting prediction that hasn’t come to pass, and why
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Prediction - Computer programs that can practice law
    • Programs have fallen short
    • Why - Difficulty in resolving problems of meaning/applicability

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • One failed approach is discussed
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Approach - Model law as set of rules to be applied
    • Why it failed - Requires interpretations of (sometimes intentionally) undefined laws/terms (far beyond capabilities)
    • Examples

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Another failed approach is discussed
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Approach - Case-based reasoning (compare to precedent)
    • Why it failed - Criteria for similarity set by developer; to work those similarities have to be found by computer system (apparently intractable)

Main Point: Unsurprisingly, attempts to make computer programs that can practice law have failed because of rules that have multiple interpretations and the difficulties in identifying similar precedent.

Key Lines?

Lines 4-6 - An exciting prediction of a product

Lines 8-10 - The products have fallen short

Lines 13-16 - Key reasons they have unsurprisingly failed

Lines 18-23 - One approach to developing the product

Lines 23-25 - Why it failed

Lines 41-44 - Another approach to developing the product

Lines 54-57 - Why it failed

Meta-Structure?

Examples - Paragraph 2 goes into several examples to back up its general contention that these legal programs fail because of interpretation issues. It’s a small part of the passage meant to back up a contention that is only part of the main point, so these Examples don’t define the passage, but it’s likely we’ll get a question or two about them.

Last Thoughts?

A key element as we work through the questions is going to be figuring out which paragraph holds the information key to answering it. While Paragraphs 2 and 3 focus on different approaches to developing the lawyer-replacement programs, there are some similarities between them. They both deal with issues of interpretation - either key legal concepts/language, or cases with similar details. As such, we should really think about which of the two approaches a given question is likely to be asking about before we spend time looking back to the passage!

Question prompt

Which one of the Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: A

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Question Type

Legal

Strategy Overview

Reiterate the main point of the passage as we stated it after reading, then find an answer that most closely matches with it

Answer Anticipation

This passage didn’t have a passage-defining Meta-Structure, so we need to approach the main point by looking at the Author’s opinion.And Paragraph 1 has a lot of opinion. The Author makes a value judgment on the lawyer programs, stating that the “practical benefits” of these systems have “fallen short” and “have not resulted” in things that work (Lines 8-13). She also says this “is not surprising” because of certain difficulties (Lines 13-16, which she then goes on to explore (one each in Paragraphs 2 and 3).Since Paragraphs 2 and 3 get into specifics for a generalization the Author made at the end of Paragraph 1, that generalization is the main point, and we can also loop in the high-level details of the specifics she dives into, giving us:Unsurprisingly, attempts to make computer programs that can practice law have failed because of rules that have multiple interpretations and the difficulties in identifying similar precedent.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Attempts to model legal Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A matches the stem

    (A) (Lines 13-16) This answer hits the opinionated generalization that the Author makes on the topic of the passage at the end of Paragraph 1 - that it’s unsurprising these computer programs have failed because of certain problems. It also reflects those problems as stated in the generalization and in the specifics, as provided in Paragraph 2 (interpreting legal discourse) and Paragraph 3 (identifying appropriate precedents). This answer is therefore correct.

  2. B
    Despite signs of early Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) (Lines 1-4) Computer programs that do the job of a lawyer haven’t worked out, but other computer programs (listed in the opening sentence) still provide value to legal professionals.

  3. C
    Case–based computer systems are Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    (C) (Lines 13-16) This answer compares the approach in Paragraph 3 to the one in Paragraph 2, calling it “vastly superior.” First, there’s no indication that the Author views the second approach as vastly superior - she believes they’re both flawed. Second, even if the Author does think the second approach is better, she - again - believes they’re both flawed, and this answer completely misses that point.

  4. D
    Computers applying artificial intelligence Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) (Lines 13-16) The Author finds it unsurprising that these programs “have not resulted in computer systems that can independently provide” expert legal advice, so this answer is way too positive.

  5. E
    Using computers can expedite Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) (Lines 13-16) Similar to (D), the Author finds these programs to have fallen short of optimistic expectations, so this answer is way too positive.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A Credited 91%
  2. B 4%
  3. C 2%
  4. D 2%
  5. E 1%

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