LSAT 117 | Section 2 | Logical Reasoning: Q3

LR Question 3 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: In the past, combining children of different ages …

QUESTION TYPE: Paradox

PARADOX: In the past, mixed-age classrooms usually failed. Now, they produce excellent results and are better than standard classrooms.

ANALYSIS: Why did the same practice fail before but succeed now?

We need to show how today’s mixed-age classrooms are importantly different from those in the past.

The stimulus tells us why the old classrooms failed:

• Younger children received inadequate instruction.
• Older children were bored by repeating old lessons.

So the correct answer should explain why today’s classrooms avoid these problems.

___________

1. The fact that today’s classrooms are somewhat larger doesn’t explain why they are now successful. If anything, larger classes might make individualized attention harder.
2. This makes the paradox worse. If the old classrooms had better equipment, we would expect them to have done better, not worse.
3. CORRECT. If today’s mixed-age classrooms emphasize group projects that engage students of different ages, then we fix the problems with the past classrooms. The practice is the same, but the way it’s implemented is different.
4. A greater age range would likely make teaching different levels even harder. This does not explain the improvement.
5. Whether teachers experienced mixed-age classrooms when they were young has no obvious connection to why the classrooms are now successful.