PrepTest 147

[lcid:3686] Prep Test 147 LSAT — Reading Comp — S3 Reading comp

Passage

Questions 22-27  . Passage A  .       In 1994, Estonia became the first country to  . introduce a "flat tax" on Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Social Sciences

Passage A
Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • A new trend that questions a traditional thought is established
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • New trend - Flat tax, Estonia to 8 other countries
    • Old belief - Flat taxes work only in theory, but that seems wrong
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • New objections now that flat taxes exist
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • New objection - A flat tax isn't progressive
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • The Author shows that the new objection is wrong
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Author - A flat tax can be progressive through two variables - threshold and tax rate above threshold
    • Most countries - Incentive to cheat on taxes, and complex code lets it happen
    • Outcome - Rich people pay about the same under a flat tax
Passage B
Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • A tax system is described
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Common wrong belief - Graduated taxes cause people to pay higher rates on whole earnings
    • Real system - Everyone treated the same, as the higher tax rate is just on income above a threshold
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • Two distinctions are drawn to make a point
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Dollars aren't all equal - poor people spend most of their income on surviving; middle class people have some flexibility
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • A separate tax system is criticized
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Flat tax - Tries to account for this by exempting some income to let the working poor survive
    • Problem - Going from one extreme (no tax) to another (highest flat rate). Poor pay less, rich pay less - to make the same, the middle class is going to have to pay more
Main Point:
Passage A - Despite criticism in both the past and present, a flat tax can work in the real world and also be progressive, leading to the rich paying as much under this system as alternatives

Passage B - People don't understand graduated taxes, and also flat tax systems will inevitably result in the middle class paying more in taxes

Key Lines:

Passage A:
Lines 5-8 - A common belief is called into question
Lines 9-11 - A new objection is raised
Line 17 - The Author disagrees with the objection
Lines 26-28 - The Author wraps up the disagreement with the objection

Passage B:
Lines 35-36 - A clarification is made
Lines 40-41 - The Author highlights an important difference that's explored in this paragraph
Lines 53-59 - A goal is established and criticism of an approach to reaching that goal is stated

Meta-Structure - Relationship Between Passages:
The two passages have very different views on flat taxes. Passage A notes that they can be progressive, and that under existing systems, the high-income earners pay "about as much tax" as they would under other systems. Passage B, on the other hand, believes that high-income earners will pay less, and the middle class will have to make up the difference. So they largely disagree on that topic.

Last Thoughts:
The passages here were a little technical with their discussion of tax rates and thresholds, so let's be sure not to get too bogged down in anything approaching math. In general, if an answer requires us to dig into numbers, we should defer on it as it's unlikely to be correct.

Question prompt

Both passages seek to Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: E

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

Question Type

Social Science

Answer choices

  1. A
    accusing opponents of shifting Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 9-10) Passage A notes that those who object to a flat tax started to bring up a new objection "once they are shown" the taxes working, but Passage B doesn't say anything about opponents moving the goalposts.
  2. B
    citing specific historical developments Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 1-5) Passage A talks about historical developments (even if recent ones), but Passage B doesn't get into any real-world examples.
  3. C
    arguing on the basis Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. Neither passage brings up an analogy.
  4. D
    employing rhetorical questions
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 50-53) Passage B is the only one that brings up a question, let alone a rhetorical one. (It is rhetorical, as the Author asks it to make a point—he's not actually looking for someone to answer it.)
  5. E
    correcting alleged misunderstandings
    Why choice E matches the stem
    Correct. Question Type:
    Methods of Reasoning

    Strategy Overview:
    Look at our paragraph role notes for each passage and then head to the answers

    Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
    Another question that asks for a similarity between the two passages! Here, it's asking for something that both passages do in making their arguments.

    For Passage A, the argument really starts in the last paragraph—that's where the Author comes in and defends a flat tax system against criticism. That specific criticism? That it's not fair because it's not a progressive system. The Author, though, doesn't say that it is fair despite not being a progressive system—rather, she argues that it is a progressive system. So she rebuts an argument by showing that it rests on a false premise.

    For Passage B, it starts by highlighting a common misconception about taxes—people think graduated taxes mean people pay the same rate on all money they earn. It shows how this is wrong—that they just pay the higher rate on the "bands" of money exceeding that limit—to show that a flat tax system at best fixes a problem that exists only in people's minds. So Passage B also highlights how a common belief is incorrect.

    Since both passages argue that an opposing view is wrong, we should look for an answer reflecting that method of reasoning.

    Answer Explanation:
    (Lines 15-17; Lines 30-34) The Author of Passage A corrects what she believes to be a misunderstanding—that a flat tax isn't progressive. The Author of Passage B corrects what he believes to be a misunderstanding—that graduated taxes require people to pay the higher rate on their entire earnings. Since both passages highlight something they believe the opposing side is factually wrong about, this is the correct answer.

    Key Takeaway:
    When Comparative passages disagree with each other, you should expect questions about differences. However, there will also be questions about similarities, and for those questions, expect the answers to be bigger-picture and more abstract, as it's generally the case that the points of agreement are on what topics are important and how the arguments are structured.

What this tests

Discussion

View all discussions Start a discussion