PrepTest 154

[lcid:3714] Prep Test 154 LSAT — Reading Comp — S3 Reading comp

Passage

Passage A  The path a historical novelist has to tread is clearly beset by dangers. One cannot have medieval characters Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Humanities

Passage A
Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • A problem and paradoxical solution are introduced
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Problem - Historical novelist/biographers have to change things up and invent things to create good stories
    • Paradox - To tell a good narrative, a writer has to lie
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • A distinction is made within the paradox
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Lies vs. Mistakes
    • Lies are intentional and purposeful, mistakes are accidental and unforgivable
    • Constructive lie (adds to story) = good; mistake (detracts from story) = bad
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • A caveat is added
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Some lies go too far - alienating, obvious
    • But subtle, convincing lies necessary - e.g., Shakespeare
Passage B
Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • A question is posed based on a weird situation
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Situation - Autobiographer remembers false things more vividly, even when remembering the actual thing
    • Question - Which is the "truest" memory?
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • A distinction is made
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Actual event vs. Emotional experience
    • When they align, great! When they don't, false memory tends to have emotional truth
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • Another distinction is made
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Autobiography vs. Biography
    • Latter to get truth
    • Former to get experience, and an emotional false memory should be included
Paragraph 4
  • Paragraph note
    • A temper tantrum is thrown, and then a conclusion is drawn
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Temper tantrum - My conclusion is illogical and unethical!
    • Conclusion - Autobiography is between fact and fiction, and each writer draws line in different places
Main Point:
Passage A - While some lies go too far, historical novels/biographies need to tell some intentional and purposeful lies to create a coherent story.

Passage B - Autobiography skirts the line between fact and fiction, and some false memories need to be included because they create a clearer story and provide emotional truth.

Key Lines:

Passage A:
Lines 8-9 - A paradoxical statement is made
Lines 17-18 - The paradox is clarified
Lines 19-20 - A caveat is added
Lines 22-24 - An example is given

Passage B:
Line 34 - A question is posed
Lines 39-40 - An unexpected answer is presented
Lines 41-43 - The thesis is stated
Lines 49-52 - The Author is mad at himself
Lines 56-58 - The main point is reiterated in fancy language

Meta-Structure - Relationship Between Passages:
Passage A - Paradox/Explanation/Caveat
Passage B - Question/Paradoxical Answer

Both passages deal with writing that is supposed to be factual, and they highlight how lies or false memories actually contribute to that form of writing. They both recognize the paradoxical nature of that, though the author of Passage B is a little more piqued by it than the author of Passage A.

There's one key difference. Passage B distinguishes between autobiography (read to experience what the author did) and biography (read to learn facts). Passage A's author says that in "depicting the lives of real individuals," it's acceptable to include purposeful lies that advance the narrative. So in biographical writing, Passage A argues lies are alright, but Passage B argues that that writing is read to "find a more objective view" (Line 45).

Last Thoughts:
Passage B is written in the first-person, and there's quite a bit of emotion shown there—especially in the last paragraph.

The two passages, though, largely align on their main point—that lies/false memories are acceptable in certain situations. However, there is some disagreement over what those situations are.

Question prompt

Both authors would be 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

Humanities

Answer choices

  1. A
    The truth of a Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 39-40) Passage B brings up emotional truth, which blurs the line in this answer and makes it hard to analyze. Passage A doesn't mention it, though, so we can rule it out.
  2. B
    Unintentional mistakes tend to Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 17-18) Passage A notes that lies add to a story, while mistakes detract from it, so she agrees with this answer. And Passage B doesn't talk about mistakes or compare them to lies.
  3. C
    Most writers usually succeed Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 21-22) Neither passage discusses how frequently authors are successful in including falsehoods in their writing, so we can't say they'd disagree that ""[m]ost"" are.
  4. D
    The tendency of authors Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. Neither passage discusses the trajectory of a writer over her career.
  5. E
    Readers expect complete factual Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem
    Correct. Question Type:
    Cannot Be True

    Strategy Overview:
    Use what we know about the overlap between the two passages to find an answer that contradicts their viewpoints

    Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
    In looking for something with which the authors would disagree, we're looking for something that contradicts their viewpoint, making this a Cannot Be True question.

    What do we know about the overlap between the passages? They both argue that falsehoods are a necessary part of creating a narrative in works that purport to deal with true subjects. So we should focus on answers that line up with the opposing view, and then we should find citations for the statements that contradict the answer. When we can find such a statement in both passages, we'll have the correct answer.

    Answer Explanation:
    (Lines 5-7; Lines 21; Lines 52-56) Both passages talk about the inclusion of falsehoods in writings as being necessary, so this answer runs counter to the overall point, and we should dig in even if we don't remember the expectations of readers being discussed! Passage A notes that writing about historical situations requires making up dialogue and missing details, and if they do so convincingly, they'll get away with it. And readers couldn't expect complete factual accuracy in capturing dialogue from centuries ago! Passage B explicitly notes that the readers of autobiography are expecting a good tale, not the accuracy of a newspaper article or history book—in other words, they're not expecting autobiographies to have complete factual accuracy. This answer is therefore correct.

    Key Takeaway:
    Even when dealing with detail questions, focusing on the overall viewpoint of the passage(s) can be key. Answers that address that main point in some way are more likely to be correct.

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