Reading Comprehension · Science
PrepTest 111 · Section 2 · Passage 3
Questions 15–20
Before you start
Open PrepTest 111, Section 2 in your official copy from LSAC and read the passage for Questions 15–20, using the structure guide below. The passage is not reprinted here.
Structure guide
- P1: introduces a long-standing preference held by one group, names the attitude underneath it, and gives a quick contrast to show it
- P2: shows a second group sharing that attitude, gives two examples of their attempts, then notes a recent challenge
- P3: sets up a pair of statements to illustrate the split and explains why the first one is truly universal
- P4: shows how each side reads the second statement and closes by calling the field's history a struggle between the two views
Step 2 · The kid passage
The Rulebook Club and the Game of Kingdom
Ms. Rivera's Rulebook Club has always liked card games better than recess games. The reason is a dislike of surprises. To the club, a real game works the same way every time, because its rules never change. If something only happens on a rainy Friday, the club calls it a story, not a game. So the club loves that every deal in Snap obeys one rulebook, but never asks how the recess game of Kingdom got its odd customs.
The club is not alone. Some Kingdom players also looked down on one-time events and tried to copy the card players by writing fixed laws: the tallest kid always ends up king, and every kingdom lasts exactly one week. They believed Kingdom would count as a real game only if it had laws like these. Lately, though, Priya and a few friends have asked whether chance events, not laws, shape Kingdom.
To see the split, take two sentences. 'Every Snap card is dealt face down' covers every deal that could ever happen, not just the deals already played, because the rulebook demands it.
Marcus, a law-seeker, says 'Every Kingdom king wears a red cape' works the same way: red is easiest to spot, kids follow what they can see, so a red-caped king is bound to win. Priya says 'kings' is just a name for the few kids who happened to rule, and they all happened to pick red. Kingdom's whole story has been a tug-of-war over those capes.
Step 4 · The courtroom tale
The Case of the Blue Cars
Judge Patel squinted at the photo. 'Every car in Lot B is blue,' she read. 'Is that a rule or a coincidence?' Mr. Whitfield snapped his suspenders. 'Your Honor, it is a law of the lot. The lot's repair shop only fixes blue cars, so owners of other colors park elsewhere. Lot B could never hold a red car, today or any day.' Ms. Ortiz stood up for the other side. 'Lot B is just a name for the forty cars parked there this morning. They happen to be blue. Tomorrow a green one may roll in.' The judge nodded slowly. 'So you two agree on the color. Your fight is over whether the color had to be.'