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- Sat Jul 01, 2017 10:50 am
#36712
Complete Question Explanation
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=14608)
Main Point. The correct answer choice is (E)
The main point, as discussed previously, is something similar to “the vast majority of code-switching in
bilingual communities of Puerto Rican Americans can be explained by subtle factors, either situational
or rhetorical.”
Answer choice (A): When considering answer choice (A), consider the following: “After reading this
passage, can I describe the various ways in which the lives of Puerto Rican Americans are affected by
code-switching?” Since the answer is clearly “No,” this cannot be the correct answer choice.
Answer choice (B): Answer choice (B), though supported by line 7, does not accurately express the
main point of the passage. As noted previously, the author does not discuss these inexplicable cases and
focuses exclusively on the instances of code-switching which can be explained.
Answer choice (C): The passage asserts that “most code-switching among Puerto Rican Americans is
sensitive to the social contexts…in which conversations take place” (lines 11-14). Since social contexts
are given as an example of situational factors, and these factors can explain more than half the instances
of code-switching, this answer choice cannot be correct. Further, it is too limited to express the main
point of the entire passage.
Answer choice (D): Again, test takers must ask themselves if this answer choice accurately expresses
what they have learned as a result of this passage. Can readers know what linguists believed about codeswitching
prior to these studies of Puerto Rican Americans? No. From the passage, any knowledge that
test takers have regarding linguists’ beliefs about code-switching is based entirely on these studies and
cannot be used to say how those beliefs have been revised.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. As is often the case in LSAT Reading
Comprehension passages, the correct answer choice to a Main Point question is a paraphrase of the
passage’s topic sentence. Scanning the answers choices quickly for critical elements, such as situational
and rhetorical factors, should quickly lead readers to the correct answer choice.
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=14608)
Main Point. The correct answer choice is (E)
The main point, as discussed previously, is something similar to “the vast majority of code-switching in
bilingual communities of Puerto Rican Americans can be explained by subtle factors, either situational
or rhetorical.”
Answer choice (A): When considering answer choice (A), consider the following: “After reading this
passage, can I describe the various ways in which the lives of Puerto Rican Americans are affected by
code-switching?” Since the answer is clearly “No,” this cannot be the correct answer choice.
Answer choice (B): Answer choice (B), though supported by line 7, does not accurately express the
main point of the passage. As noted previously, the author does not discuss these inexplicable cases and
focuses exclusively on the instances of code-switching which can be explained.
Answer choice (C): The passage asserts that “most code-switching among Puerto Rican Americans is
sensitive to the social contexts…in which conversations take place” (lines 11-14). Since social contexts
are given as an example of situational factors, and these factors can explain more than half the instances
of code-switching, this answer choice cannot be correct. Further, it is too limited to express the main
point of the entire passage.
Answer choice (D): Again, test takers must ask themselves if this answer choice accurately expresses
what they have learned as a result of this passage. Can readers know what linguists believed about codeswitching
prior to these studies of Puerto Rican Americans? No. From the passage, any knowledge that
test takers have regarding linguists’ beliefs about code-switching is based entirely on these studies and
cannot be used to say how those beliefs have been revised.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. As is often the case in LSAT Reading
Comprehension passages, the correct answer choice to a Main Point question is a paraphrase of the
passage’s topic sentence. Scanning the answers choices quickly for critical elements, such as situational
and rhetorical factors, should quickly lead readers to the correct answer choice.