Now that you have a guess as to the scope and main idea of the passage, making an outline is simple. This is the second article in a series of articles about the TestSherpa LSAT Reading Comprehension Method. The series includes:
LSAT Reading Comprehension Outlines
Since the LSAT Reading Comprehension section is like an open-book test, you don’t need to read each passage in detail like you would for memorization. Instead, you’re just trying to come up with a road map to refer to later when you tackle the questions.
Read the entire passage (below) and come up with a single-sentence paraphrase of each. Sometimes you can find a topic sentence in each paragraph that will clue you in or that you could underline as part of your outline.
The LSAT will try to tempt you with minutiae, but don’t get sucked into that trap. The details rarely matter when you get to the questions, and if you do get a question that involves details, knowing where to find them is more important that spending time memorizing them.
Think of this as an open book test – it really is since the passage is right there for you to review. Think of each paragraph as a container for ideas and details. You need to know generally which container to look in if you are asked about it later, but why spend time memorizing small points or worrying about unfamiliar words and ideas on an open book test.
Scan (quickly read, but don’t re-read) the rest of the passage and come up with a single-sentence paraphrase for each paragraph. That will form your outline, telling you if you’re on the right track and also telling you where to find details later when you answer the questions.
Before moving on, make a single-sentence paraphrase for paragraphs two, three and four.
Making your outline is as simple as coming up with a paraphrase of each paragraph, so don’t spend too much time worrying about it.
Here are some possible ways to paraphrase paragraphs 1-4.
P1: Psychologists’ views on human intelligence are the correct, but misunderstood, views.
P2: Intelligence tests are fair and accurate because they seem to be correlated to success.
P3: People are not born equal when it comes to intelligence.
P4: Intelligence is important and valued, yet we want to minimize the inequality it can cause.
Marking Up the Reading Comprehension Passage
While you’re reading, you may want to underline certain keywords (signal words) and write your paraphrases next to each paragraph. You might be lucky enough to find a sentence or phrase or two to underline that indicate the main idea. You can go back over the paragraph when you’re done reading it and underline those key phrases if they’re handy.
When you’re done reading, you might have underlined the following to give you clues to look back to as you attack the questions. This can be a kind of road map of the important highlights of the passage:
Now let’s take a look at LSAT Reading Comprehension Answers.