#10 - Parallel, Except

[hfsports429]

Hi,

I was just looking for some clarification on #10 (in which one of the following ways are the passages NOT parallel?"). I understand why C is wrong, since Passage A's examples aren't being used to criticize the historian's new approach, but rather show their attempts to address the problem. But I'm not sure why answer choice A is wrong. It says that passage A presents and rejects arguments for an opposing position. Is the author doing this in the first paragraph?

Thanks.

[Kristina Moen]

Hi hfsports,

Take a look at the question stem again: "In which one of the following ways are the passages NOT parallel?" This is very similar to the question "In which one of the following ways are the passages parallel?"

You basically want both parts to match! So if an answer choice correctly describes what Passage A does, but not Passage B, then it is incorrect. Or if it describes what Passage B does, but says it's Passage A, then it's incorrect. Or if it describes what neither of the passages do, then it's incorrect.

Here, answer choice (C) is correct because Passage A does give examples of a phenomenon it criticizes (adding the word "narrative" to their presentation titles and papers but still being historiography), while Passage B does not give examples. This is way in which they are NOT parallel.

When contemplating why answer choice (A) is wrong, you should ask yourself: What argument for an opposing position did the author of Passage A provide? And did he reject it? It would help if I understood your thought process a bit better, and it can help to write it down. I'll check back!

[hfsports429]

Thanks! That's helpful. I think this question for me did start at the question stem. I found it a bit confusing to understand but essentially, it is asking for an answer that states what the two passages are doing that shows a divergence between each other. In other words, how are these passages distinct?

The other part of my confusion was the idea that the author of passage A is criticizing the phenomenon of historians trying to input storytelling to correct the problem. I mixed that idea up with an opposing position, thinking that the author was viewing this method in a negative way. But it's not a position per se, but like answer choice C suggests, a recent "phenomenon."

[Kristina Moen]

In other words, how are these passages distinct?

You got it! Now if you see that wording on an RC question again, you won't think twice!

[LSAT2018]

I think I had a hard time understanding the wording, not the content of the question. So when the question asks In which one of the following ways are the passages NOT parallel?

The four correct answers will be parallel (Similar)
The one incorrect answer will not be parallel (Different)

Can this be seen in Must Be True/Cannot Be True types? Given answer (A) Passage A presents and rejects arguments for an opposing position, whereas passage B does not, how would this be parallel/similar? I think the NOT part is deliberately used to confuse.

[AM4747]

Hello,

I was wondering if this really qualifies as an except question. My interpretation of the question is that it is basically asking us to identify in what way the two passages are dissimilar. The correct answer identifies the difference whereas the incorrect ones could virtually be anything.

Thanks
Best

[Adam Tyson]

Hey LSAT2018 and AM4747, my view of this question is that it is NOT a form of EXCEPT question. That would only be the case if the stem said something like "the passages are parallel in each of the following ways EXCEPT".

Instead, treat this like a much more straightforward Must Be True question. Imagine that the stem said "which of the following describes a difference between the two passages" (because that is really what it's asking). The four wrong answers wouldn't have to describe similarities or anything parallel, although they could. Rather, they would just not describe a difference. Answer A, for example, does not describe a difference in the passages because the author of passage A neither presents nor rejects opposing arguments. In any Must Be True question, the correct answer is based on the facts contained in the stimulus (or passage, in RC). If the answer describes something that did not happen, it's a wrong answer because it violates that "Fact Test."

An answer that fails to describe what happened in the two passages cannot describe a way that the passages are not parallel! The answer has to describe something that happened, and that thing has to be different (not parallel) in the two passages.

If you're struggling with that, consider hypothetical answer choice F:

"Passage A offers recipes for a delicious meal, while Passage B criticizes those recipes for being unhealthy."

This is not something parallel, because recipes weren't in there. But it also doesn't describe a way that the passages are not parallel, because it doesn't describe anything about the passages.

Weird question! I would expect to see something like that one come around again on a future test, because it is so unusual and challenging. Study that one as you move forward, and good luck!

[sdb606]

I eliminated B because I didn't know what an "evaluative claim" was. Is this a legitimate reason for eliminating that answer? Is it expected that I know what an "evaluative claim" is?

In general, if an answer choice has an obscure word that is not found in the passage, is that sufficient grounds for eliminating?

[Ryan Twomey]

The LSAT does tend to throw in terms that are hard to define from time to time. When I read this answer choice, I thought an evaluative claim would be any claim where we are evaluating the validity or truth of an idea, which is a pretty vague concept. Based on that definition, I thought both passages made evaluative claims, so the answer choice would be wrong for that reason.

The LSAT expects you to be able to look at something like "evaluative claim" and have an idea of what it means even if you haven't encountered the term before.

I don't think you can eliminate an answer choice just because you don't know what a term means. They have the ability to use synonyms and things like that to trick you. What I would do moving forward when you encounter a term you don't understand: leave the answer choice and try and eliminate or pick answer choices you do understand. So if you were able to eliminate the remaining answer choices, then you could pick the answer choice you don't understand. Or if you find an answer choice you like and do understand, then pick that answer choice instead.

Hope this helps.

[nivernova]

Could anyone explain why answer choice D is wrong?

I can clearly see author's criticism in Passage A but I'm having difficulty in finding one in Passage B.