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Course: LSAT > Unit 1
Lesson 10: Reading Comprehension - Worked Examples- Law passage overview | Cosmic Justice (paired passages)
- Main point | Law passage | Cosmic Justice
- Recognition | Law passage | Cosmic Justice
- Inferences about views | Law passage | Cosmic Justice
- Inferences about info | Law passage | Cosmic Justice
- Principles | Law passage | Cosmic Justice
- Analogies | Law passage | Cosmic Justice
- Law passage overview | Copyright
- Main point | Law passage | Copyright
- Purpose of reference | Law passage | Copyright
- Applying to new contexts | Law passage | Copyright
- Humanities passage overview | Music (paired passages)
- Main point 1 | Humanities passage | Music
- Main point 2 | Humanities passage | Music
- Recognition | Humanities passage | Music
- Inferences about views | Humanities passage | Music
- Principles and analogies | Humanities passage | Music
- Additional evidence | Humanities passage | Music
- Primary purpose | Humanities passage | Music
- Science passage overview | The Sun
- Recognition 1 | Science passage | The Sun
- Recognition 2 | Science passage | The Sun
- Organizing info | Science passage | The Sun
- Inferences about views 1 | Science passage | The Sun
- Inferences about views 2 | Science passage | The Sun
- Inferences about views 3 | Science passage | The Sun
- Inferences about info | Science passage | The Sun
- Social science passage overview | Wool
- Main point | Social science passage | Wool
- Recognition 1 | Social science passage | Wool
- Recognition 2 | Social science passage | Wool
- Inferences about info | Social science passage | Wool
- Inferences about attitudes | Social science passage | Wool
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Main point 1 | Humanities passage | Music
Watch a demonstration of one way to approach a "main point" question for a humanities passage in the reading comprehension section. Created by Dave Travis.
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- how would you know if a choice is too narrow?(1 vote)
Video transcript
- Which one of the following
most accurately expresses the main point of passage B? Okay, so this is a main point questions, very common question type. The best way to approach them
is get an idea in your head of what the main point is,
before you look at the choices because the wrong choices
in this sort of question are likely to be things that
are mentioned in the passage, but are not actually the
main point of the passage. It's a great idea to go up and review the first and last
sentences of every paragraph to remind yourself where the
bones of this passage are and what the main point of the passage is. So let's go up and do that
before we look at the choices. There are certain elements within music, such as a change of
melodic line or rhythm, that create expectations about
the development of the music. And then it went on, mentioned
expectations, expectations, mentioned tension, three
times in that paragraph. Now let's read the first
sentence in the next paragraph. Interruption of the
expected musical course, depending on one's personal involvement, causes the search for an explanation. Again, tied to the
expectations that we saw in the first paragraph. Expectations appear here again. So let's move to the last
paragraph to remind ourselves. When we listen to music
we to take into account factors such as the complexity
and novelty of the music. The degree to which the
music sounds familiar, so again that's based on our expectations. It's familiar, I expect it to be this way. It's all about this expectations. Let's jump down to the end. As such a trained listener
will have a greater preference for complex melodies
that a naive listener, as the threshold for
experiencing emotion is higher. Again based on familiarity
and expectations. So that's what we're
looking for in the choices. What is the main point? A. The type of musical emotion experienced by a listener is determined by the level to which the listener's
expectations are satisfied. Looking really good. Let's try to figure out the ways that the other choices must be wrong, 'cause A is looking very, very good. Now on test day, if you're
feeling short on time, if you're the sort of
reader who runs out of time on the reading section, you might wanna just go
ahead circle A and move on because it really does
match what we are expecting. Let's look at B. Trained listeners are more
able to consciously manipulate their own emotional
experiences of complex music than are naive listeners. Okay, manipulating their
emotional experiences wasn't even mentioned. That's not even in the passage at all. C. If the development
of the piece of music is greatly at odds with the
listener's musical expectations, then the listener will
experience negative emotions. Okay, expectations, that looks good, but that's not what the
whole passage is about. This is too narrow. This choice is in it but
it's not the main idea. It's wrong. D. Listeners can learn
to appreciate changes in melodic line and other
musical complexities. You know, maybe a true statement, maybe, but that is not the
main idea of this passage. E. Music that is experienced
by listeners as relaxing usually produces a buildup
and release of tension in those listeners. That isn't the main idea, which
is all about expectations. This whole passage is not
just about the buildup and the release of tension, that leads to people
finding music relaxing. That's just not what the passage is about. Our answer is A.