LSAT 134 | Section 4 | Reading Comprehension: Q8

RC Question 8 Explanation

DISCUSSION: The translation gives us an example of how Mexican Americans think about community: “Tell me who you run with and I’ll tell you who you are.” The passage says this means that an individual is formed by their community.

The sample proverb shows us how proverbs are used, and what effect they have. By repeating this proverb, Mexican Americans reinforce their ideas about community.

___________

1. CORRECT. Lines 25-30 show that this is true. The proverb in question is given as an example of how Mexicans view the relationship between individual and community.
2. We’re not told anything about the tone of the proverb. It could be used humorously, or seriously. We know it’s used frequently, but we’re not told much about the context in which it’s used.
3. An appeal to traditional wisdom is mentioned in lines 38-39, but this example hardly shows how the proverb acts as an appeal to traditional wisdom. We’d need a description that shows how the proverb linked present to past.
4. There’s no evidence that translating proverbs is hard. While some may lose their meaning, lines 10-12 show that some Mexican-American proverbs can be translated to an English equivalent.
5. We’re not told whether this proverb is effective at getting its message across. Maybe Mexican American kids are instead listening to the individualist message of American culture.