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Reading Comprehension · Social Science

PrepTest 142 · Section 3 · Passage 4

Questions 22–27

Before you start

Open PrepTest 142, Section 3 in your official copy from LSAC and read the passage for Questions 22–27, using the structure guide below. The passage is not reprinted here.

Structure guide

  1. P1: presents a scholar's thesis, grants that part of it is well supported, and announces two flaws
  2. P2: explains the first flaw with two contrasting examples, gives the scholar's reply, and rebuts it
  3. P3: explains the second flaw by laying out the scholar's causal chain and naming factors it ignores

Step 2 · The kid passage

Priya Reviews Owen's Chess Club Report

In his new report, Owen argues that the leaders of the community center's chess club, back before our older siblings joined, were bolder and more varied than earlier club histories admit. By studying the notebooks of the club's best players, Owen does show convincingly that those leaders tried tricks that today's top players treat as brand new. Still, the report has two problems.

First, Owen trips over his own claim. He says the leaders were varied, yet he keeps stressing how much they agreed. The Copycats urged newcomers to learn the openings everyone at the center already used. The Homegrown team wanted players to invent their own openings and wanted visitors allowed in tournaments. These teams clashed head-on. Owen admits the split but waves it away, since both teams wanted small fixes to tournament rules, not a total overhaul. Yet the shouting matches over who could join, and over copying versus keeping your own style, show the club ran on argument, not agreement.

Second, Owen may overstate how much the leaders spoke for ordinary members. He notes that more members had learned chess at the center itself. So, he says, the new leaders felt more at home there and spoke up more. Maybe. But we don't know how far that spirit spread past the leaders. Unless we understand things like how many players arrived from other towns, how many signed up as official members, and the differences in team pride these create, we can't assume more home-taught members meant a busier, louder membership.

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Case of the Fountain Petition

The town council wanted to prove everyone loved the new fountain. Their lawyer waved a petition. 'Every neighborhood leader signed it, Your Honor!' Mr. Whitfield stood, suspenders creaking. 'Two problems. First, your own records show the leaders fought for months: one group wanted a quiet pond, another wanted a splash pad. You call that agreement because they all wanted some water feature? That was a debate, not a consensus.' He turned to the jury. 'Second, leaders signing does not tell us what regular residents think. Did anyone ask the folks on Maple Street? How many people moved in this year?' The council lawyer flipped pages. Nothing. The judge sighed. 'Leaders' views are evidence about leaders. Bring me the neighbors.'

Guidance for each question