Reading Comprehension · Law
PrepTest 116 · Section 1 · Passage 1
Questions 1–7
Before you start
Open PrepTest 116, Section 1 in your official copy from LSAC and read the passage for Questions 1–7, using the structure guide below. The passage is not reprinted here.
Structure guide
- P1: describes a new arrangement, how it works, and how fast it has caught on
- P2: reports one group's worry, then gives the organizers' defense of the arrangement
- P3: the author argues that the arrangement is unlikely to pay off over time, giving several reasons
Step 2 · The kid passage
The Paws Pass
Since last spring, families on Maple Lane can buy the Paws Pass. For one small monthly fee, a family gets dog walks from the club's own walkers at no extra cost. A family may also pick an outside walker. Outside walkers can sign up as 'partner walkers' and take the club's price as full pay, or charge more and have the family cover the difference. Almost half the street signed up in two months. Two other streets now run passes too.
Many older walkers worry about prices. Most of them never became partners, yet walking prices all over the neighborhood have dropped, some so low that a walk barely pays for the dog treats. Priya, who runs the club, says everybody wins. Families get cheap walks, and walkers meet new families. Do a great job for one pass family, she says, and they will brag to neighbors without the pass, who pay the regular price.
But I doubt the pass will keep anyone happy for long. Walkers with loyal customers gain almost nothing by joining, so the pass is mostly a way for brand-new walkers to get noticed. Newcomers may be kind, but with less practice, families will be less pleased. Also, with prices falling, those bragging neighbors might never cover the cost of all the cheap walks. Worst of all, cheap pay gives a walker little reason to try hard. Expect quick loops and less time for tricky dogs that pull, bark at bikes, or need medicine.
Step 4 · The courtroom tale
The Case of the Cheap Haircut Card
Judge Okafor tapped her gavel. 'The town barbers say the new Haircut Card is ruining them.' The Card's founder stood up. 'Customers get cheap cuts, and barbers get new faces who tell their friends!' Then Mr. Whitfield snapped his suspenders. 'Your Honor, I am not here for either side. I am here for the long run. The famous barbers have full chairs, so they skip the Card. That leaves mostly beginners. And at these prices, will anyone spend an extra ten minutes on a tricky cowlick?' He paused. 'A popular start is not the same as a happy ending.' The judge wrote three columns on her pad: what the Card is, what each side says, and what the lawyer himself thinks.