The correct answers to most LSAT questions will have a middle focus. Don't choose overly broad answers that the passage can't support and don't choose overly narrow choices because passages usually aren't that focused. Take a look at this example.
The author is primarily concerned with:
A. Penguin mating patterns
B. Antarctic Penguins
C. Birds of the world
D. Penguin behavior and life cycle
E. Animals of the southern hemisphere
B is likely to be correct as it is closest to middle scope. It deals with an animal and its habitat, but is not too narrow and also not too broad. It fits nicely in between:
Broad:
Animals of the southern hemisphere
Birds of the world |
Narrow:
Penguin behavior and life cycle
Penguin mating patterns |
Watch out for words like "all, never, always, only". These qualifiers are strong, usually outside a passage's scope. Just think how hard it would be to write a short passage that argued:
 Every new medical treatment improves the quality of medical care. (No failures at all?)
Only the federal government can improve public school education. (What about states? Individuals?)
Look for answers that use "some, most, or many". These qualifiers indicate a limited scope.
Does every reading comprehension question have one correct answer and four incorrect answers?
Yes, you say? Well . . . . not exactly. Rather, there is one best answer and four not-so-good answers. For example, main idea questions generally have one of two answers that are partly correct, but flawed in some way. A wrong answer to the question What is the main idea? might summarize the main idea of only part of the passage.
Your goal is to pick the best answer to the question, not hunt for the One True Answer.
Unless you are highly pressed for time, always read all answer choices before making a decision. An answer that seems basically right could be rendered incomplete by a better choice. Do not ask yourself if an answer is correct. Ask yourself if it is better than the other choices.
Which of the following assertions in the passage is supported by an example?
Now, turn it on its head:
Which of the following assertions in the passage is NOT supported by an example?
What can you do? Practice! You have to learn to reverse your thinking. Practice assists in acquiring that skill. One pitfall is to overlook the critical reversal word and then wonder why all the choices seem correct. NOT, LEAST, AND EXCEPT will be used in caps to indicate you're looking for the reverse answer. Rephrasing the question before you answer it is helpful.
Not at first. You might accidentally skim over the Big Idea. As a beginner, you should concentrate on finding the Big Idea and using the 5 steps for working through a passage. Skimming is an advanced skill, as it demands you quickly distinguish between the significant and the extraneous. If you skim over the important stuff, you'll have to go back, or even worse, you'll get the questions wrong, due to misreading.
As you get the hang of spotting the Big Idea and mapping the passage, you'll approach a point where you can begin skimming. Eventually, the Big Idea will become so obvious, it will jump off the page, signaled by tone shifts, passage structure, "slam on the brakes language", and your understanding of the author's purpose and bias. At that point you will be able to spot important content quickly enough to skim over everything else. You will save precious time by skimming everything that isn't centrally related to the Big Idea or the structure.
Time is a precious commodity on the LSAT. Do you want to waste it reading the extraneous detail of the passages? The LSAT writers want you to trip up doing exactly that. Often, the unimportant information contains the most challenging language—complicated technical explanations or strange business jargon.
Remember: The longer you spend reading the passage, the less time you have to answer the questions, so getting to the questions in the most efficient way is very useful.
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LSATCenter Tip: How do you tell if you are reading too quickly?
1. If, when you finish an essay, your first reaction is confusion, then you probably read it too quickly, weren't reading for the writer's idea, got buried in details, or lost in a blur of jargon. When you are done with reading an essay, you should have a general idea of the content.
2. If you have to return to the passage extensively for Macro questions, then you probably read it too quickly. You shouldn't have too much trouble answering general idea questions without going back.
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