Reading Comprehension · Humanities
PrepTest 104 · Section 3 · Passage 2
Questions 8–14
Before you start
Open PrepTest 104, Section 3 in your official copy from LSAC and read the passage for Questions 8–14, using the structure guide below. The passage is not reprinted here.
Structure guide
- P1: presents two influential views that deny something has meaning, says they caused neglect, and introduces a counterexample plus the author's thesis
- P2: describes a practice in general terms and gives a simple example
- P3: gives a more complex example and borrows another commentator's description to show a shared quality
- P4: concludes that the thing serves several functions at once, opposes both views, and says what readers must know to appreciate it
Step 2 · The kid passage
What the Patches Say
Grown-ups at Camp Fernhill see camp patches in two ways, and both say patches mean nothing. Ms. Rivera calls them "just stickers to tell vests apart." The camp handbook says patches mostly sort kids into groups. So nobody asked about clubs that use patches differently. In the Owl Club, patches stand for real moments, both to show where a kid fits in and to make that kid feel special. And they are a kind of tiny art.
Owl Club kids get several patches: on the first day, when they join a cabin, and when they turn ten. An older kid from another cabin designs each one, mixing the designer's cabin symbol with something about the receiver. A small acorn might mean the kid is tiny and the designer is from Oak Cabin.
Usually, though, the designer has a secret moment in mind. Nadia's patch is a bright zigzag. Her designer is from Lantern Cabin, which leads the yearly glowing parade up the sledding hill behind Nadia's own cabin. The zigzag is that parade, colors climbing. Grandpa once called the camp's trail signs "little paintings"; the patches have that same packed-in quality.
So patches do several jobs. They quietly show who is connected to whom, and they mark each kid as one of a kind. Just as important, they are lovely to look at and to talk about, which beats both the sticker and sorting views. To see their beauty, you need to know the cabins and the club's stitching customs.
Step 4 · The courtroom tale
The Quilt Square Dispute
Two cousins fought over Aunt Rosa's old quilt. Their expert testified, "Quilt squares are decoration, nothing more." The other side's expert said, "No, squares just show which family branch made them." Mr. Whitfield called Grandpa. "What does this blue wavy square mean?" Grandpa smiled. "It marks the spring the creek flooded and Rosa's whole family rowed to church. Her sister sewed it. Their branch always used blue." Mr. Whitfield turned to the judge. "So it does show family ties, and it does tell squares apart. But it is also a little story, and a beautiful one. Both experts saw part of the picture. You only see the rest if you know the family and how they sewed." The judge took the quilt home to study it. Overnight.