Reading comp PrepTest 154 · Section 3 · Question 7

Passage

Passage A  The path a historical novelist has to tread is clearly beset by dangers. One cannot have medieval characters Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Humanities

Passage A
Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • A problem and paradoxical solution are introduced
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Problem - Historical novelist/biographers have to change things up and invent things to create good stories
    • Paradox - To tell a good narrative, a writer has to lie
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • A distinction is made within the paradox
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Lies vs. Mistakes
    • Lies are intentional and purposeful, mistakes are accidental and unforgivable
    • Constructive lie (adds to story) = good; mistake (detracts from story) = bad
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • A caveat is added
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Some lies go too far - alienating, obvious
    • But subtle, convincing lies necessary - e.g., Shakespeare
Passage B
Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • A question is posed based on a weird situation
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Situation - Autobiographer remembers false things more vividly, even when remembering the actual thing
    • Question - Which is the "truest" memory?
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • A distinction is made
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Actual event vs. Emotional experience
    • When they align, great! When they don't, false memory tends to have emotional truth
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • Another distinction is made
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Autobiography vs. Biography
    • Latter to get truth
    • Former to get experience, and an emotional false memory should be included
Paragraph 4
  • Paragraph note
    • A temper tantrum is thrown, and then a conclusion is drawn
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Temper tantrum - My conclusion is illogical and unethical!
    • Conclusion - Autobiography is between fact and fiction, and each writer draws line in different places
Main Point:
Passage A - While some lies go too far, historical novels/biographies need to tell some intentional and purposeful lies to create a coherent story.

Passage B - Autobiography skirts the line between fact and fiction, and some false memories need to be included because they create a clearer story and provide emotional truth.

Key Lines:

Passage A:
Lines 8-9 - A paradoxical statement is made
Lines 17-18 - The paradox is clarified
Lines 19-20 - A caveat is added
Lines 22-24 - An example is given

Passage B:
Line 34 - A question is posed
Lines 39-40 - An unexpected answer is presented
Lines 41-43 - The thesis is stated
Lines 49-52 - The Author is mad at himself
Lines 56-58 - The main point is reiterated in fancy language

Meta-Structure - Relationship Between Passages:
Passage A - Paradox/Explanation/Caveat
Passage B - Question/Paradoxical Answer

Both passages deal with writing that is supposed to be factual, and they highlight how lies or false memories actually contribute to that form of writing. They both recognize the paradoxical nature of that, though the author of Passage B is a little more piqued by it than the author of Passage A.

There's one key difference. Passage B distinguishes between autobiography (read to experience what the author did) and biography (read to learn facts). Passage A's author says that in "depicting the lives of real individuals," it's acceptable to include purposeful lies that advance the narrative. So in biographical writing, Passage A argues lies are alright, but Passage B argues that that writing is read to "find a more objective view" (Line 45).

Last Thoughts:
Passage B is written in the first-person, and there's quite a bit of emotion shown there—especially in the last paragraph.

The two passages, though, largely align on their main point—that lies/false memories are acceptable in certain situations. However, there is some disagreement over what those situations are.

Question prompt

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

Credited answer: C

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

Question Type

Humanities

Answer choices

  1. A
    the obligation to suppress Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. (Line 17; Lines 47-48) Both passages focus on situations where lies and false memories add to a story. While they each note places where this isn't the case and facts should rule, that's not the focus of the passages.
  2. B
    the critical distinction between Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 10-11) Passage A discusses this distinction in Paragraph 2, but it's not mentioned in Passage B.
  3. C
    the essential role of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem
    Correct. Question Type:
    Main Point

    Strategy Overview:
    Review what we said about the main points and their overlap

    Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
    Both passages dealt with the inclusion of false memories/lies in certain writings, stating that there were situations where it was not only acceptable, but it would actually be better than sticking to the complete truth.

    Passage A states that ""[e]ffective lies add to the story"" (Line 17) and Passage B notes that it's ""more misleading to omit [emotionally resonant false memories] than...to include them"" (Lines 47-48).

    Let's find an answer reflecting that main thesis.

    Answer Explanation:
    (Lines 9-10; Lines 45-48) Passage A says that a good narrative in historical novels/stories of real individuals ""requires the telling of lies."" Passage B notes that it's ""arguably more misleading"" to omit a false memory with emotional power in an autobiography. While they talk about different genres, they both do show that falsehoods play a crucial role in that genre, and they are both genres that depict real past events, so this is the correct answer.

    Key Takeaway:
    Note how the correct answer here skirts the difference between the passages. While they both talk about the role of falsehoods in writing, they apply to different genres. This answer refers to the genre generically to get around that. It's important to be able to note these ways that the LSAT can turn a difference into a similarity in these passages.
  4. D
    the impossibility of representing Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. (Line 12; Lines 29-30) Passage A talks about intentional and purposeful lies, while Passage B says that false memories can be included even ""when I know the memory is incorrect."" As such, both acknowledge that there's intentional misleading going on, suggesting that it might be possible to be accurate.
  5. E
    the ethical problems posed Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 49-51) Passage B's Author brings up the ethical implications of his argument, though it's not a central topic of it. Passage A fails to discuss this.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 4%
  2. B 7%
  3. C Credited 71%
  4. D 10%
  5. E 8%

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Discussion

  • Why not D ? 1 reply

    Started by Nativeguy

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