Reading Comprehension · Humanities
PrepTest 151 · Section 1 · Passage 3
Questions 15–21
Before you start
Open PrepTest 151, Section 1 in your official copy from LSAC and read the passage for Questions 15–21, using the structure guide below. The passage is not reprinted here.
Structure guide
- Passage A, P1: claims one ingredient of a combined form is the stronger one and says how it can lift the other
- Passage A, P2: argues that mixing the two costs each some purity, allows the mix only if the weaker part serves the stronger, and concludes that the combined form's value rests on the stronger part
- Passage B, P1: sorts the combined form into types by how much one ingredient leads, defends a type that gets unfair scorn, and notes that a theoretical third type failed in early history
- Passage B, P2: argues that no part should be graded alone, gives a test for each part, and concludes that the union of the parts is what makes the form special
Step 2 · The kid passage
The Great Sandwich Debate (two reports for Ms. Rivera)
Report A, by Marcus: Fresh bread can make you hungry, but bread alone never satisfies that hunger. The filling can. Filling grabs the hunger bread started and makes it bigger. So bread gains a lot from filling. But a sandwich mixes two foods, and each loses a little of its purity. Plain bread is great. So is a bowl of filling. Together they can still do good things, as long as the bread serves the filling. Who needs bread on top of great chili? A sandwich's worth depends on the filling, not the bread, the plate, or the napkin.
Report B, by Lulu: Our cafeteria serves two kinds of sandwich. Filling-first sandwiches are nicknamed 'stuffers,' and kids tease them unfairly. Balanced sandwiches share the job among bread, filling, and sauce, though the filling still matters most. In theory a third kind could exist, where the bread leads. The very first cafeteria sandwiches were like that, but hardly anyone liked them, and the cooks had to add more filling before sandwiches caught on. Never judge one part alone. A filling is good if it fits this sandwich and adds something the rest does not. Bread is good if it holds a sensible shape and gives the toppings room to shine. You may study each part alone, but only to describe it. In the lunch box they are joined like flour and water in dough, and that joining, plus how it looks on the tray, makes a sandwich special.
Step 4 · The courtroom tale
The Case of the Two Food Critics
Judge Okafor peered at two critics at the county sandwich contest. Critic One testified, 'Your Honor, the filling is everything. Bread just tags along. Judge the filling and you have judged the sandwich.' Critic Two shook her head. 'Some sandwiches lead with filling, some share the stage. Long ago, bread-first sandwiches flopped, I admit. But you cannot grade any piece alone. The parts fuse.' Mr. Whitfield snapped his suspenders. 'Notice, Your Honor, they agree on one thing: both are arguing about how much the bread matters. And notice what each brings that the other skips. Critic One talks about hunger and feelings. Critic Two sorts sandwiches into kinds.' The judge nodded. 'Two clipboards, one question, different answers. Noted.'