Logical Reasoning · Point at Issue

PrepTest 103 · Section 2 · Question 3

Phase 1 (your first ~400 questions): read the guidance, then answer. No clock.

Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first

Question type

Point at Issue

The one idea it tests

Spot the single question where one speaker says yes and the other says no.

The basic logic

Speaker one says something is getting worse and must be changed. Speaker two admits the change but says it is fine and should be left alone. The fight is over whether things are okay as they are, not over whether change happened.

Tiny words that decide it

“must”
“leave alone”
“but”

Playground logic

Frankie says the class reading corner has gotten messier and must go back to the old strict rules. Sharon agrees it is messier but says it works fine and should be left as is. Both clipboards say 'messier,' so that is not the fight; the fight is whether the corner is good enough now.

Step 2 · The kid story

The Reading Corner Debate

Frankie marched up to Ms. Rivera. 'The reading corner is falling apart! Kids leave beanbags everywhere and nobody returns books on time. We need the old rules back: sign-out sheets and quiet time!' Sharon rolled her eyes. 'Okay, it is messier than last year. But most kids like it this way. They read more! All this fussing just makes everyone grumpy.' Lulu drew two columns on her clipboard. Under Frankie: 'messier, needs fixing.' Under Sharon: 'messier, fine as is.' She tapped the page. 'You both agree it got messier. The real fight is whether it is okay the way it is.' Frankie and Sharon looked at each other, then kept arguing anyway, because that is what they do.

Step 3 · Try the model question

Frankie: The reading corner has become disorganized and kids are less responsible. We must bring back the old strict rules. Sharon: It may be less tidy than before, but most kids like it. Leave it alone; all this fussing makes it worse.

Frankie and Sharon disagree about whether the reading corner

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Town Clock Hearing

The town council held a hearing on the old clock tower. Ms. Grady testified first: 'The clock runs slow now, sometimes by five minutes. We must restore it to its original works.' Mr. Whitfield, speaking for the shop owners, hooked his thumbs in his suspenders. 'The clock may be a bit slower than in the old days. But nobody misses a bus over it, and the people like it. Leave it be.' The chairperson summed up. 'So you both agree it runs slow. Ms. Grady says that is not acceptable; Mr. Whitfield says it is good enough. That is the question we vote on.'

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 103, Section 2, Question 3 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

Make two clipboards. Write down what each speaker claims, including what the second speaker concedes. Cross off anything both accept, and anything only one speaker addresses. What is left is a claim one affirms and the other denies. Check each choice with the Two-Clipboard Test: would speaker one say yes and speaker two say no? Watch for concessions words like 'may be' that show agreement.