PS Full-Length Course Lesson 2 June 2005 Test Question 1

[milanproda@me.com]

My question is in regards to question 1 of the June 2005 LSAT.

This question is somewhat disappointing because I felt that I understood the main point of the passage: The definition of prosperity in only monetary terms is not realistic as most economists might think. In essence, the Economists belief is questionable (Line 6) However, my pre phrase did not fit so well with the answer choices.

I crossed out answer B (the correct answer) right away. The first half of the statement fit perfectly, but the second did not. The reason: Where did "OUR" ORDINARY CONCEPTION of prosperity every come into play? Where in the passage were ordinary people and their beliefs mentioned? How could "our" conception play a role in this passage? Furthermore, what does the LSAT mean by "our'? Us the readers? How could I presume what another readers conception of Economic prosperity is?

I initially chose answer choice C, btw. I did not like choosing it, but I felt that it was the best out of 5 bad choices.

Thank you for your help ahead of time.

[Steve Stein]

Thanks for your question. For that one, you referenced exactly the right part of the passage: the author tells us that, according to the critics, a purely monetary view of prosperity is lacking because "it fails to recognize other kinds of values...that contribute directly to prosperity in a broader sense." In other words, that definiton is too narrow to cover the notion of prosperity as it is generally understood. This confirms answer choice B.
Answer choice C makes claims that are too specific even to be confirmed by the passage--it is likely that most communities would look worse under a new definition--by the way, I don't think I'm telling you anything new with this last part--it sounds like you knew as you chose C that it couldn't be the Main Point of the passage.

Let me know whether that makes sense--thanks!

~Steve

[milanproda@me.com]

Makes sense, thank you