PrepTest 140
[lcid:3659] Prep Test 140 LSAT — Reading Comp — S4
Reading comp
Passage
Passage A is from a source published in 2004 and passage B is from a source published in 2007. Questions
Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Legal Studies
Passage A
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
Passage A - According to Castronova, multiplayer online games end up with a virtual economy that creates wealth with value in the real world
Passage B - Earning in-game items or trading them shouldn't be taxed, but selling them for real money or earning them in a game that intentionally commodifies them should be taxed
Key Lines:
Passage A:
Lines 7-9 - The phenomenon is described
Lines 13-16 - A new level to the phenomenon is described
Lines 18-19 - An implication of the phenomenon is described
Passage B:
Lines 26-29 - A distinction is made
Lines 32-36 - Questions are asked
Lines 44-45 - The Author's answer is presented
Lines 52-56 - An exception/distinction is made to the answer
Meta-Structure - Relationship Between Passages
Phenomenon/Implication and Question/Answer - Passage A (excitedly) describes a phenomenon. Likely, the writers of the LSAT assumed that this topic was a bit outside of most people's experience, and so they felt the need to highlight the situation before including an argument. And that argument features in Passage B, where the economy in online games described in Passage A is then subjected to a question—should these things be taxed?
So the two passages are strongly related. Passage A describes a phenomenon, and Passage B asks a question about how that phenomenon should be treated.
Last Thoughts:
Note how most of our notations on Passage A are about what is being described. While it's filtered through a specific viewpoint—Castronova's—it's largely describing an online economy that creates goods for real-world sale. That said, the language used is definitely more on the positive side—down to the punctuation (exclamation marks).
Also, note that Passage B has a callback to the original distinction when it draws another distinction in the last paragraph. When it kicked off, it talked about games that prohibit real-world trade in virtual items versus those that encourage it by providing IP rights to those goods. The last paragraph is about games that are "intentionally commodified," which is referring to that latter set of games.
Passage A
Paragraph 1
- Paragraph note
- Background
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- Details on online multiplayer games
- Paragraph note
- A viewpoint is introduced
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- Castronova - These games develop their own economies
- Paragraph note
- A new layer
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- Castronova - People would sell their accounts for real money on eBay
- Paragraph note
- Bringing it all together
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- Castronova - Virtual currency has real-world value, and online "work" was creating value
Paragraph 1
- Paragraph note
- A split is introduced
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- Some online games prohibit selling stuff for money; other encourage it
- Example - IP rights
- Paragraph note
- A question is posed
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- Sell virtual stuff for real money? Taxed!
- If someone gets virtual stuff but doesn't sell it, should it be taxed?
- Paragraph note
- An answer is provided
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- Most people - It shouldn't be
- Author - I agree! Analogy - Fish that are caught are only taxed when sold
- Author - Trading in-game items for others shouldn't be taxed
- Paragraph note
- Distinction is made to above answer, calling back to Paragraph 1
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
- Author - Selling virtual items for money should be taxed; games that commodify items should be taxed
Passage A - According to Castronova, multiplayer online games end up with a virtual economy that creates wealth with value in the real world
Passage B - Earning in-game items or trading them shouldn't be taxed, but selling them for real money or earning them in a game that intentionally commodifies them should be taxed
Key Lines:
Passage A:
Lines 7-9 - The phenomenon is described
Lines 13-16 - A new level to the phenomenon is described
Lines 18-19 - An implication of the phenomenon is described
Passage B:
Lines 26-29 - A distinction is made
Lines 32-36 - Questions are asked
Lines 44-45 - The Author's answer is presented
Lines 52-56 - An exception/distinction is made to the answer
Meta-Structure - Relationship Between Passages
Phenomenon/Implication and Question/Answer - Passage A (excitedly) describes a phenomenon. Likely, the writers of the LSAT assumed that this topic was a bit outside of most people's experience, and so they felt the need to highlight the situation before including an argument. And that argument features in Passage B, where the economy in online games described in Passage A is then subjected to a question—should these things be taxed?
So the two passages are strongly related. Passage A describes a phenomenon, and Passage B asks a question about how that phenomenon should be treated.
Last Thoughts:
Note how most of our notations on Passage A are about what is being described. While it's filtered through a specific viewpoint—Castronova's—it's largely describing an online economy that creates goods for real-world sale. That said, the language used is definitely more on the positive side—down to the punctuation (exclamation marks).
Also, note that Passage B has a callback to the original distinction when it draws another distinction in the last paragraph. When it kicked off, it talked about games that prohibit real-world trade in virtual items versus those that encourage it by providing IP rights to those goods. The last paragraph is about games that are "intentionally commodified," which is referring to that latter set of games.
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
Legal
Answer choices
-
A"The Economic Theories of Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice A is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 7-8; Line 29) The first part of this answer is too broad. Passage A discusses one economic observation of Castronova, not his theories generally. Passage B is concerned with taxation. IP rights are a relevant consideration there, but it's not the full story. Both of these titles miss the mark. -
B"An Economist Discovers New Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice B matches the stem
Correct. Question Type:
Main Point
Strategy Overview:
Reiterate the main point of both passages and find answers that line up with them
Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
This question type is a variation on a Main Point question, as the title of a piece should reflect the main point. So we should reiterate the main points that we just settled on while reflecting on the passages, and then we can find an answer that lines up with it.
Passage A was more descriptive, talking about how economies spring up in online games, and that this can create real-world wealth.
Passage B presented a question that it then answered—such online transactions shouldn't be taxed unless they're sold for real money or in a game that intentionally commodifies items.
Answer Explanation:
(Lines 7-8; Lines 13-14; Lines 32-36) Passage A describes the "curious" and "more interesting" observations of Castronova on the emergent economies of online games. Since Castronova is an economist (Line 7), this title fits the bill. And Passage B is primarily concerned with answering questions about what virtual property should be taxed, with this title reflecting that question. This set of titles matches up with the main concern of each passage, so this is the correct answer.
Key Takeaway:
These questions that ask for titles need to have titles that reflect the main point of the passage. -
C"The Surprising Growth of Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. (Line 1; Lines 32-36) Passage A mentions that there are millions playing these games, but that's neither the central topic of the passage nor does it convey growth. Passage B is about the tax implications of virtual property, so this title misses the mark in talking about virtual reality and the law generally. -
D"How to Make Money Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 19-22; Line 58) Passage A isn't instructive—there's no detailed information on how to make money playing games online. Passage B highlights a way to not create tax shelters (Line 59), not how to close ones that already exist. -
E"A New Economic Paradigm" Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 7-9; Lines 13-14; Lines 41-45) Passage A fails to discuss Castronova, but it's arguably in the ballpark. Passage B, on the other hand, argues that such transactions shouldn't generally be taxed (unless they're sold for real money or in a game that intentionally commodifies goods). As such, it's focus is identifying something that wouldn't be a new source of tax revenue.
What this tests
Discussion
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Started by AmMaSu