PrepTest 145

[lcid:3676] Prep Test 145 LSAT — Reading Comp — S1 Reading comp

Passage

 .       The Federal Theater Project (FTP) was  . established in the late 1930s by the United States  . government. Although Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Humanities

Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • History of a program-within-a-program and its historical importance
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Federal Theater Project - Short-lived but wide ranging
    • Legacy (no study until recently) - African American sub-groups/units; arguably close to founding national Black theater
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • The context, content, and goals of these units is discussed, and an example is given
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Context - Harlem Renaissance - Already thought on function of art in African American community
    • Content - Question as to three types (rural, urban, or adapt plays by white playwrights)
    • Goal - Question as to three goals (go mainstream/be different; target white/African American audience; instruct/entertain)
    • Diverse output - Ex. The Swing Mikado (adaptation with Black actors as traditionally white characters)
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • Wrap it up
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Doesn't say much new
    • Reflected diversity of African American audience
Main Point:
The "Negro Units" of the FTP provided for a wide network of actors, writers, and producers to put on a variety of shows representing the diversity within the African American community and coming close to establishing a Black national theater.

Key Lines:
Lines 7-11 - The topic of the passage is introduced, with a note that it wasn't studied much until recently
Lines 14-20 - The main thesis of the passage is noted
Lines 24-27 - Historical context is provided
Lines 27-29 - A question is introduced (content/types of plays)
Lines 35-36 - Another question is introduced (goals)
Lines 42-44 - The force behind the diversity central to the Author's argument is highlighted
Line 45 - An example is introduced
Lines 55-59 - The Author reiterates the diversity of programming

Meta-Structure:
Important recently discovered historical event/trend—The LSAT will frequently feature passages about something that happened in the past—an event, a trend, a phenomenon, etc . . . —that, until recently, wasn't understood or wasn't studied. The "recent discovery" of this phenomenon will feature in some answers, so it's important to note.

Question/Answer - This passage poses two sets of questions. The first is about the content these units should have produced, and the second is about their goals. It'd be important to note where in the passage these showed up so that they could be quickly found, but it wouldn't be necessary to note each one or memorize them. Interestingly, there's not a definitive answer to either set of questions. Rather, it's noted that the program was large enough to "reflect[] the genuine diversity of African American artists and their audiences" (Lines 56-58)—in other words, the answer to which content and goal should be produced was, "Yes."

Last Thoughts:
There were a lot of little details in this passage, but they all fell into common categories—historical context, examples, etc . . . So using our normal notes for those elements will help us get through this question set!

Question prompt

In referring to "a 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

Humanities

Answer choices

  1. A
    a publicly funded performing Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. This answer can be tempting, but it's too literal. The Author doesn't think that a truly national Black theater would be a "performing arts center"—a single center wouldn't really be national!
  2. B
    a broad-based dramatic-arts enterprise Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B matches the stem
    Correct. Question Type:
    Meaning in Context

    Strategy Overview:
    Review the role of the paragraph containing the phrase in question, then define in using the immediate context of the passage and that role/the overall main point

    Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
    Remember—everything included in the passage is meant to support the main point in some way, even if it does so by outlining an opposing viewpoint. So let's keep the main point of the passage in mind as we work through this question.

    Lines 19-20 show up in Paragraph 1, where the Author is discussing the history of the "Negro Units" of the FTP and their historical importance. The lines, in particular, close out Paragraph 1, so they're likely presenting the thesis, an important part of it, or the structure of the rest of the passage.

    Reading that sentence, it seems as if it's presenting either the main point or an important part of it—that the "Negro Units" came close to creating a truly national Black theater—the phrase in question.

    With that in mind, let's fall back on the main point—what does the Author think the "Negro Units" succeeded in doing? Well, based on our answer to Question #1, they created a production system that reflected the diversity of views and interests in the African American community. Since that's how the Author describes their success, and it's tied to the idea of a truly national Black theater, we should find an answer reflecting it.

    Answer Explanation:
    (Lines 55-59) The main point of the passage spoke to the importance of the "Negro Units" in producing a diversity of thought withing the arts. So when the Author closes out Paragraph 1 by talking about a truly national Black theater, she must be talking about that. This answer reflects that the "Negro Units" were affiliated groups that each had different ideas of how best to represent the African American experience and situate it within the broader context of the U.S., so it's the correct answer.

    Key Takeaway:
    Compare this answer and the correct answer to Question #4. This is a Meaning in Context question, and that was an Argument Structure question. While focusing on specific sections of the passage, both answers reflected the main point of the passage. This is expected! Always keep that main point in mind, as it should be reflected in most answers.
  3. C
    a federal government program Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 9-12) This answer describes the "Negro Units" themselves, but the Author argues that these units were the ones responsible for coming close to creating a truly national Black theater.
  4. D
    a canon of plays Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 17) The "people working in these units" were the ones who came close to creating a truly national Black theater, and the individuals involved were broader than just playwrights, so this answer is too limited in scope.
  5. E
    a successful chain of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Incorrect. There's no discussion of Black-owned playhouses throughout the US, so this answer is out of scope.

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