PrepTest 144
[lcid:3672] Prep Test 144 LSAT — Reading Comp — S1
Reading comp
Passage
. Before contact with Europeans, the Haudenosaune, . a group of nations in northeastern North America also . known as
Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Social Science
Paragraph 1
While Europeans believed that wampum was used as money, it was actually used as a form of sociopolitical communication, growing from items with religious significance to eventually encoding the Haudenosaunee Confederacy's constitution, communicating laws and messages for hundreds of years.
Key Lines:
Lines 1-5 - The phenomenon is introduced
Lines 5-7; 9-11 - A misunderstanding is noted
Lines 13-15 - The overall progression is outlined
Lines 21-22 - An extended example of early wampum use is noted (religious)
Lines 33-36 - A step in the progression is stated (strings; messages)
Lines 37-42 - The big step in the progression is noted
Line 43 - A long string of examples is started
Lines 60-62 - More timeline and effectiveness of wampum as comms
Meta-Structure:
Phenomenon - Usually when a phenomenon is described, it warrants an explanation. This one, however, doesn't—the phenomenon is the use of wampum, and the passage instead describes how it was used.
Misunderstanding - The passage highlights a misunderstanding by both "[m]ost historians" (Lines 5-6) and Europeans (Line 10). They both focused on wampum as a means of exchange/money. Note that there is evidence it was used as such—the Europeans and Haudenosaunee did trade using it. However, it wasn't it's primary purpose.
Example - Paragraphs 2 and 3 both feature examples. Paragraph 2 brings up an example of early wampum use that's much more religious (starting in Lines 21-22), but still serves as a communication method (with spirits Sapling and Flint). Paragraph 3 brings up many examples of how wampum was used by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to encode law and communicate. There's a good chance we get an EXCEPT question based on the latter!
Progression - The passage lays out the progression of the use of wampum by the Haudenosaunee early on (Lines 12-17) from religious to recording messages to keeping the peace. The passage then largely goes through this progression. We get examples of it being used for religious purposes (example starting in Lines 21-22), then a note about it growing to send simple political messages (Lines 34-36), and then a long discussion of how it was used to keep the peace in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Paragraph 3).
Last Thoughts:
It would be very easy to overlook that the end of Paragraph 1 lays out a progression that is then played out in the following paragraphs if you're not looking for it. However, noting these things can make it much easier to see how everything holds together, as structured arguments with a clear progression "stick" in our minds better. This is why you'll see so many RC passages have something in the opening paragraph that outlines the argument to be made. Be on the lookout for these statements, as they make your work a lot easier in both understanding the passage and answering the questions. After all, if you have a clear understanding of the structure of the passage, then you should be able to quickly find any relevant information.
Paragraph 1
- Paragraph note
- A phenomenon and a misunderstanding are discussed
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Phenomenon - Haudenosaunee*/Iroquois used wampum as political comms
- Misunderstanding (Most historians and Europeans) - Wampum was money (used as such in trade between Europe and Haudenosaunee)
- Transition - Religious to peacekeeping messaging
- Paragraph note
- Early wampum and then development discussed
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Early types - loose beads in white and purple
- Ex - Sapling (good) and Flint (bad) spirits thrown bead wampum by fishermen
- Growth - Loose beads strung together to send political messages (e.g., truce)
- Paragraph note
- Major development in progression of system (end based on initial outline)
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- 1451 - Haudenosaunee Confederacy formed - wampum a arbitrary and pictorial system to convey constitution (belt) and other stuff
- Symbols, colors, and arrangement had significant
- Lots of examples
- Limited, but worked for hundreds of years
While Europeans believed that wampum was used as money, it was actually used as a form of sociopolitical communication, growing from items with religious significance to eventually encoding the Haudenosaunee Confederacy's constitution, communicating laws and messages for hundreds of years.
Key Lines:
Lines 1-5 - The phenomenon is introduced
Lines 5-7; 9-11 - A misunderstanding is noted
Lines 13-15 - The overall progression is outlined
Lines 21-22 - An extended example of early wampum use is noted (religious)
Lines 33-36 - A step in the progression is stated (strings; messages)
Lines 37-42 - The big step in the progression is noted
Line 43 - A long string of examples is started
Lines 60-62 - More timeline and effectiveness of wampum as comms
Meta-Structure:
Phenomenon - Usually when a phenomenon is described, it warrants an explanation. This one, however, doesn't—the phenomenon is the use of wampum, and the passage instead describes how it was used.
Misunderstanding - The passage highlights a misunderstanding by both "[m]ost historians" (Lines 5-6) and Europeans (Line 10). They both focused on wampum as a means of exchange/money. Note that there is evidence it was used as such—the Europeans and Haudenosaunee did trade using it. However, it wasn't it's primary purpose.
Example - Paragraphs 2 and 3 both feature examples. Paragraph 2 brings up an example of early wampum use that's much more religious (starting in Lines 21-22), but still serves as a communication method (with spirits Sapling and Flint). Paragraph 3 brings up many examples of how wampum was used by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to encode law and communicate. There's a good chance we get an EXCEPT question based on the latter!
Progression - The passage lays out the progression of the use of wampum by the Haudenosaunee early on (Lines 12-17) from religious to recording messages to keeping the peace. The passage then largely goes through this progression. We get examples of it being used for religious purposes (example starting in Lines 21-22), then a note about it growing to send simple political messages (Lines 34-36), and then a long discussion of how it was used to keep the peace in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Paragraph 3).
Last Thoughts:
It would be very easy to overlook that the end of Paragraph 1 lays out a progression that is then played out in the following paragraphs if you're not looking for it. However, noting these things can make it much easier to see how everything holds together, as structured arguments with a clear progression "stick" in our minds better. This is why you'll see so many RC passages have something in the opening paragraph that outlines the argument to be made. Be on the lookout for these statements, as they make your work a lot easier in both understanding the passage and answering the questions. After all, if you have a clear understanding of the structure of the passage, then you should be able to quickly find any relevant information.
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
Answer choices
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AThe Haudenosaune's use of Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice A is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 19-20) The passage notes that the oldest form of wampum were loose beads, so this answer about an origination as strings of beads is incorrect. -
BFor the Haudenosaune, wampum Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice B matches the stem
Correct. Question Type:
Main Point
Strategy Overview:
Reiterate the main point as we outlined it after reading the passage
Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
The Author starts by highlighting a phenomenon (the Haudenosaunee used wampum as a form of political communication; Lines 1-5) and a misunderstanding around it (Lines 5-7; Lines 9-11). From there, she goes on to outline a progression around that phenomenon (Lines 13-15) before giving more details of several steps along that progression (Lines 20-21; Lines 33-36; Lines 37-42). In particular, the last step (the use in the Confederacy to send political communication and encode laws) is focused on.
From this, we said the main point is:
While Europeans believed that wampum was used as money, it was actually used as a form of sociopolitical communication, growing from items with religious significance to eventually encoding the Haudenosaunee Confederacy's constitution, communicating laws and messages for hundreds of years.
Answer Explanation:
(Lines 1-7; Lines 9-11; Lines 13-15; Lines 20-21; Lines 33-36; Lines 37-42) This answer captures the overall progression of the use of wampum as described in the passage. It even references the misunderstanding that serves as an opposing point to this progression. Therefore, it's the correct answer.
Key Takeaway:
RC passages are frequently about progressions. When progression/developments serve as the backbone keeping a passage together, the main point is generally surrounding that progression, from endpoint to endpoint. -
CWampum's significance for the Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 12-15; Lines 5-6) The Author notes that the "true significance" of the wampum is in its gradual development from religious item to a means of maintaining peace. It's the historians who mostly view it as a medium of commercial exchange, so this answer reflects their viewpoint more than the Author's. -
DThere is substantial evidence Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 12-15; Lines 33-36) As outlined in the passage, the progression of wampum's use started as items with religious significance before moving to sending simple political messages before the formation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in 1451. That's when it became a "deliberate" system of symbols, but it was used for communication before then. -
EBecause of the role Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E is not credited
Incorrect. (Line 39; Lines 60-62) First, this answer makes the main point seem to be about refuting the historians, but the Author only brought them up briefly and spent the rest of the passage discussing the development of wampum as a political tool. In other words, this answer makes the main point about a refutation of another view, while the Author's actual purpose in writing this was to outline the development of the use of wampum. Second, the passage doesn't focus solely on the pre-European time period, as it moves from 1451 to "hundreds of years" later.
What this tests
Discussion
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Started by aabidr
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A and B 0 replies
Started by abhee123