LSAT 111 | Section 2 | Reading Comprehension: Q1

RC Question 1 Explanation

DISCUSSION: The main idea is in paragraphs 2 and 3. The memoirs can be reliable, if we cross-check them against other accounts, and make sure they are internally consistent.

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1. The passage doesn’t say why only 80 memoirs out of 1000 were written by women. Maybe there was intolerance, but maybe there was another reason why few women wrote memoirs. 
2. The passage goes beyond this. Lines 23-25 show that we can check the biographies against other accounts and confirm whether they are objectively accurate. 
3. CORRECT. This covers paragraphs 2-3, and they are the heart of the passage. The first paragraph merely gives some context; the theme of the biographers being upper class wasn’t developed. So it doesn’t matter that this answer doesn’t mention the first paragraph.
4. This contradicts the second paragraph. Lines 23-25 show that we can corroborate the biographies with other evidence to show whether they are accurate. 
5. The women’s movement was mentioned in lines 58-59, but we’re not told why it occurred and whether it had anything to do with the subjects discussed in the biographies.