Reading Comprehension · Social Science
PrepTest 112 · Section 2 · Passage 1
Questions 1–6
Before you start
Open PrepTest 112, Section 2 in your official copy from LSAC and read the passage for Questions 1–6, using the structure guide below. The passage is not reprinted here.
Structure guide
- P1: gives background on a traditional group, notes a decline, then introduces a new alternative and the claim its supporters make about it
- P2: develops the supporters' claim, listing the features they point to and giving examples of each
- P3: grants a limited point, then gives the author's two objections, and closes with a gentle warning
Step 2 · The kid passage
Lulu's Newsletter Column: Can a Club Replace Homeroom?
A homeroom is more than a room. The kids in it sit in the same place every morning, and they need each other: they share chores and cheer each other up. But lately kids spend less time on homeroom jobs. Now recess has the Sticker Swap Club, where kids from all over the school meet at the picnic table. Its fans, led by Marcus, say the club works just like a homeroom and could take its place.
Why do the fans say so? First, every member loves stickers. Second, the club has politeness rules. You hold up a green card before you interrupt a trade. You say 'swap?' instead of grabbing. Yelling prices is banned, since it feels bossy. Marcus says these rules are good manners, and on top of them, real friendships grow. When Kevin's goldfish died, the club made him a sympathy sticker book.
I agree the club can be kind and friendly. Still, it is not a homeroom. To join, you need stickers, and stickers cost money, so kids whose families cannot buy them are left out. Also, the fans say loving stickers is like sharing a room. It is not. Club kids pick themselves: they come because they all like the same thing. Nobody picks their homeroom, so a homeroom holds kids who are truly different, with different hobbies and different streets. Swapping may be easier than homeroom, but it would be sad if club kids drifted further from their own.
Step 4 · The courtroom tale
The Case of the Radio Fan Council
In a made-up town, a radio show's fan group asks the court to let it act as an official neighborhood council. Its lawyer says, "Your Honor, our members love the same show, follow polite rules, and help each other through hard times." Mr. Whitfield snaps his suspenders. "I grant it: they are a kind bunch. But joining requires a fancy radio, which many families cannot afford. And sharing a favorite show is not like sharing a street. Fans choose each other because they like the same thing. Neighbors do not choose each other, so a street holds people of every age, job and taste." The judge nods. "Warm, yes. A neighborhood, no. Petition denied." Kindness was granted; the mix of people was missing.