PrepTest 117

[lcid:3564] Prep Test 117 LSAT — Reading Comp — S1 Reading comp

Passage

Questions 8-14  .        In the field of historiography—the writing of  . history based on a critical examination of authentic Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Social Science


Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Background of field; Traditional approach
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Background of Historiography - Recently started focusing on explorers/settlers to get insight into changing landscapes
    • Traditional approach - Writings of 19th c European American explorers (kept logs as part of government jobs) to study history of Pacific Coast

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • New approach
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • New consideration - Include experience of Asian settlers in region
    • Problem - Didn’t leave a written record for the most part (unlike commissioned European agents)
    • Solution/New Approach - Focus on other kinds of evidence, such as the actions of Asian settlers

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Example - Agricultural expansion/Chinese settlers
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Chinese settlers forced to consider agricultural potential of substandard land
    • Example 1 - Willows/Swamp - Chinese settlers saw water, soil, and irrigation potential
    • Example 2 - Wild mustard - Valuable spice/raw material

Paragraph 4

  • Paragraph note
    • New dimension added by study of Chinese settler action
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Specialized skills - Swamp reclamation and irrigation systems
    • 80% of cropland is irrigated; top producer of specialty crops
    • Understanding actions of Chinese settlers necessary to understand history of region

Main Point: Understanding the history of the Pacific Coast requires considering the impact that Asian settlers had on agriculture in the region, which has required historiographers to consider other kinds of evidence such as the actions of these settlers.

Key Lines?

Lines 10-12 - Traditional approach

Lines 19-22 - Omitted info and why

Lines 29-32 - New approach

Lines 33-35 - Example of new approach

Lines 54-60 - Summary of argument/thesis

Meta-Structure?

Old Approach/New Approach - When a passage describes a “traditional[]” approach (Line 10), there’s a good chance that the passage is going to fall into the Old Approach/New Approach Meta-Structure. Here, the Author pivots from Paragraph 1’s discussion of the traditional approach to studying the history of the Pacific Coast - using the writings of European American explorers commissioned by the US government - to Paragraph 2’s discussion of what this approach missed (the experience of Asian settlers) and how historiographers have used a new approach to incorporate that information (“recogniz[ing] the value of other kinds of evidence,” such as the actions of Asian settlers - Lines 30-32). From there, she explores information learned by using the new method, concluding that this information is necessary to understanding the history of the Pacific Coast (“cannot be fully understood...without” - Lines 57-58). When this Old Approach/New Approach Meta-Structure is present, the Author’s opinion on the new approach constitutes the main point, reflected in our summary above.

Examples - The passage has some layers of examples that back up the point. There’s the main example - looking at the experiences of Asian settlers to understand the history of the Pacific Coast. Within that example, the passage looks at the role of Chinese settlers in Pacific Coast agriculture (Line 33), and that example focuses on two specific examples - willows/swamps (Lines 39-42) and weeds/wild mustard (Lines 43-47). Since there are myriad examples, we should expect some questions about them.

Last Thoughts?

There’s not too much that stands out about this passage, so let’s head straight to the questions!

Question prompt

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

Credited answer: B

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

Question Type

Social Science

Strategy Overview

Remind ourselves of the main point of the passage, then head to the answers, focusing on those that line up with the main point and then using our notes/the passage to find the correct answer

Answer Anticipation

This question stem provides no indication as to the topic of the correct answer or where it’ll show up in the passage. As such, we’ll need to rely on our big-picture understanding of the passage to answer this question. We should start by reminding ourselves of the main point (either by reviewing what we said after reading the passage or by rereading our answer to the main point question). From there, we can head to the answers, deferring on those that don’t line up with the main point. For those that do, we’ll use our notes and the passage to see if it’s correct.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Most Chinese settlers came Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) (Paragraph 3) Chinese settlers are discussed in Paragraph 3. It’s likely that a mention of why they moved to the Pacific Coast would show up at the beginning of that discussion, and we likely would have noted this motive if it showed up. It’s not there, so we can feel comfortable eliminating this answer.

  2. B
    Chinese agricultural methods in Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B matches the stem

    (B) (Lines 38-42) The first of two examples of how Chinese settlers expanded agriculture on the Pacific Coast is by viewing swamps as a source of fresh water and fertile soil, implying that they knew how to reclaim swampland for agricultural purposes. This answer is therefore supported by the passage, so it’s correct.

  3. C
    Settlers of European descent Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    (C) (Lines 43-47) The second example of Chinese settlers expanding agriculture sees them viewing what others saw as a “nuisance” as, instead, a raw material for valuable spices. This suggests that other settlers - including those of European descent - didn’t use wild mustard as a spice, so this answer is wrong.

  4. D
    Because of the abundance Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) This answer doesn’t line up with the Author’s argument - that all sources of evidence should be considered, even those that weren’t traditionally considered a source.

  5. E
    What written records were Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) (Lines 21-27) The Author cites a “dearth” of written records left by Asian settlers, and there’s no discussion of any exceptions to that. So even if there were some records left, there’s no way to know what the Author thinks happened to them.

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