PrepTest 153

[lcid:3708] Prep Test 153 LSAT — Reading Comp — S1 Reading comp

Passage

Passage A is adapted from a book by a music historian, and passage B from an anthropology journal. Passage A Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic:

Passage A
Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • A debate is introduced, and some background on one tradition is given
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Commentators - The blues is an extension of West African griots
    • Author - They're actually very different
    • Griots - Turned culture and traditions into song, preserving them
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • The other tradition being contrasted is described
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Blues - Reflected personal experience and alienation
    • Causal source - Slavery, which destroyed communal values/history
    • Griots - Relied on those values/history
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • Further exploration of the blues
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • "Fundamental tragedy"/source of power - Sings of everyday, but connects to overall social truth of African American life under and post-slavery
Passage B
Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • Background
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Senegal had a caste system, with the griot at the bottom
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • Background on griots
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Shouting in public wasn't acceptable, but griots could sing in public and had patrons they boosted
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • Special role of griots is explored
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Griots accompanied patrons they'd served for generations and sang praises
    • Knew social norms and captured history through their songs
Main Point:
Passage A - Griots and blues musicians reflect different traditions, with the former singing about societal trends while the latter sang of tragic personal feelings of isolation that reflected the larger social truth of African American life during and after slavery.

Passage B - Despite their low social status, griots actually knew quite a bit about society and preserved the history, culture, and values through their laudatory songs.

Key Lines:

Passage A:
Lines 1-5 - The debate is introduced, and the Author's opinion stated
Lines 14-18 - The blues is described, and it's background/cause is stated
Lines 35-37 - The thesis is stated

Passage B:
Line 44 - The special role of the griot is stated
Lines 59-65 - The thesis is brought together

Meta-Structure - Relationship Between Passages:
Connection between art and society.

Both passages talk about griots, and they agree on the role that griots served—they both state that they preserved history and culture.

Passage A also talks about blues musicians. It contrasts their role in society with that of the griot, but in both cases, the artist is capturing something about society. Griots preserve societal values, while blues musicians reflect personal tragedies that "capture" a larger social truth.

Both passages also mention the lower social standing of these artists. Griots were the lowest caste and in multi-generational service to a patron. Blues music grew out of the destruction and alienation caused by slavery.

Last Thoughts:
This set of passages is interesting in that they overlap on one topic and have similar theses, even if they focus on different areas.

Question prompt

The attitude displayed in 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
    admiration for the musicians' Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 25-26; Lines 54-55) Both passages do show admiration, so we should fully consider this answer. Passage A mentions that blues musicians sing about the everyday details of life directly, not symbolically. And Passage B says griots sung songs of praise about exemplary work. So neither passage matches this answer.
  2. B
    unease about the musicians' Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 17-18; Lines 42-43) Neither passage shows unease, so we shouldn't fully consider this answer. While both passages do discuss the low social status of different groups, it doesn't express unease about that—it argues that that status led, in part, to the power in their music.
  3. C
    envy of the musicians' Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. Neither passage demonstrates envy of anything, so this answer can be immediately eliminated.
  4. D
    approval of the musicians' Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. (Line 59) Both passages do respect the musicians they discuss, so we should fully consider this answer. Passage B does highlight the role of griot as ""community historian,"" so this answer arguably applies to that passage. However, while Passage A does discuss a ""larger social truth"" (Line 37) captured by the blues musicians, it doesn't call these musicians community historians.
  5. E
    respect for the musicians' Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem
    Correct. Question Type:
    Author's Attitude

    Strategy Overview:
    Use the overall tone to make eliminations based off of the first couple words and then use the details in the passages to confirm the correct answer

    Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
    These Author's Attitude questions tend to have answers with two features. They start with a general ""direction"" for the attitude—positive, negative, or neutral. And then they have details. Our initial reaction to each answer should consider just the first part, and then if the answer survives that reaction, we should move on to considering the details.

    Here, both Passages are generally positive towards the musicians they discuss. Passage A reflects on the ability for the blues musicians to ""capture...a larger social truth"" (Lines 36-37) with their ""powerful poetic expressions"" (Line 34) And Passage B notes that the griots successfully served many purposes (Lines 59-61) and demonstrated ""great eloquence"" (Line 49). Let's find an answer that aligns with that.

    Answer Explanation:
    (Line 34; Line 49) Both passages do show respect, so we should fully consider this answer. Passage A notes that blues music has ""powerful poetic expression."" Passage B notes that griots sang with ""great eloquence."" In both passages, there's a line praising the artistry of the musicians, so this is the correct answer.

    Key Takeaway:
    It might be hard to see how you could find the single phrases in Passages A and B that support this answer in time. But there are a few things that can help. First, we should be underlining (or in some other way noting) statements of opinion, of which both of these are. Second, we know that the passages were largely positive towards both of these musical traditions, and this answer lines up with that. If we make sure to note all opinion words/phrases and know the overall tone of the passage, it becomes a lot easier to proactively have the information needed to answer a question such as this one.

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