I want to share a method that I use in RC and that I have been teaching several of my students recently. RC is at least in certain instances designed to test your short term memory. To that end, there's a question type that seems to be designed to do exactly that. I've collected a few examples and have a method to recommend for approaching these questions.
The passage asserts which of the following about X?
The passage provides sufficient information to answer which of the following questions?
The passage mentions which of the following about/as a component of X?
In the passage, the author says which of the following about X?
Which of the following is a characteristic about X mentioned in the passage/in both passages?
According to the passage, which of the following is an essential property of/attribute of X?
Here's what I do with these questions.
Jump right into the answer choices.
For each AC, I ask: "Does this ring a bell?"
If it doesn't ring a bell, I either move on quickly or mark it with an X (do not mark the answer choice out necessarily—we are just testing each AC to see if it rings a bell or not)
If it rings a bell, put a checkmark next to the AC. "Yep, that rings a bell."
Typically 4 AC's will NOT ring a bell because they just weren't in the passage and therefore not available in my short term memory bank.
In the case where 2 seem to ring a bell, look for something concrete and specific in one of the AC's that you can quickly locate in the passage and thereby either confirm or eliminate. For instance, proper names, "some scientists," dates, key terms, etc.
Most of the time, only one AC rings a bell. And that's the right answer (barring hallucinations/clear over-inferences/reasons to eliminate an AC. I don't think I've ever had an AC that truly rang a bell that ended up being wrong).
Try this out for this QT and see where you end up. By focusing on what LSAC is testing on these QT's, you avoid the pitfalls of wasting time and misdirecting energy.
Subscribe to unlock everything that 7Sage has to offer.
Hold on there, stranger! You need a free account for that.
We love that you want to get going. Just create a free account below—it only takes a minute—and then you can continue!
Hold on there, stranger! You need a free account for that.
We love that you came here to read all the amazing posts from our 300,000+ members. They all have accounts too! Just create a free account below—it only takes a minute—and then you’re free to discuss anything!
Hold on there, stranger! You need a free account for that.
We love that you want to give us feedback! Just create a free account below—it only takes a minute—and then you’re free to vote on this!
Subscribers can learn all the LSAT secrets.
Happens all the time: now that you've had a taste of the lessons, you just can't stop -- and you don't have to! Click the button.
2 comments
@stepharizona288 I gonna try this today and thanks for sharing.
Nice thanks @stepharizona288