LSAT Reading Comprehension — Mastering Direct Comprehension Questions

Stated Facts and Details

Questions that ask for information explicitly found in the passage.

Direct comprehension

Responding to questions based solely on what is stated in the passage without inference.

Disciplinary Reading

Reading focused on precise details, distinguishing the author's explicit claims from assumptions.

Locate, Verify, Match

The method for answering stated-detail questions, involving finding the relevant text, confirming it, and linking it to answer choices.

Unique nouns

Proper names, terms, or titles that help locate information in a passage.

Paraphrase

A restatement of a text using different words while retaining the original meaning.

Extreme language trap

Choosing answers that overstate claims, such as switching 'some' to 'always'.

Scope and frequency trap

Errors from generalizing or narrowing a claim beyond what is stated in the passage.

Mixed viewpoint trap

Misassigning statements to the wrong character or viewpoint indicated in the passage.

Compression method

Reducing a passage's statement to its simplest form for clarity.

Direction change

Errors that reverse cause and effect in understanding relationships.

Quantifier change

Errors where terms like 'some' become 'most' or 'can' becomes 'must'.

Attitude shift

Misinterpretations where the author's intent or tone is altered.

Reference tracking

The ability to connect pronouns or phrases in a passage to their correct antecedents.

Example to claim link

The relationship where a specific example illustrates a broader claim or argument.

Contrast markers

Words that indicate a shift in perspective, such as 'however,' which can signal a pivotal argument.

Keyword hunting

The ineffective strategy of only looking for exact words without understanding the text's meaning.

Recognize information

Identify when an answer choice is supported by the passage, even with different wording.

Evidence language

Phrases like 'suggests,' 'indicates,' or 'supports' used to express how evidence relates to claims.

Criticism language

Terms like 'challenges' or 'calls into question' indicating a critique of a viewpoint.

Common recognition errors

Frequent mistakes made in selecting answers from passages, often due to misinterpretation.

Compressed passage

A distilled version of a passage's meaning, simplifying the content for clarity.

Information location

The skill of identifying where specific information is located within a passage under time pressure.

Reading Comprehension

The ability to understand, analyze, and synthesize information from text for evaluation.

Support citation

The act of using specific details from a passage to back an answer choice.

Judgment replacement

The idea that guidelines don't eliminate professional judgment but aim to clarify it.

Evaluation of evidence

The process of determining how evidence presented in a passage supports the author's claims.

Passage structure awareness

Understanding how different parts of the passage contribute to the overall argument.