LSAT 141 | Section 3 | Reading Comprehension: Q19

RC Question 19 Explanation

DISCUSSION: The question asks what each author would think of a person who wants to be richer than their neighbors.

The author of passage A thinks that such a person is motivated by rivalry.

The author of passage B thinks that such a person is motivated by the desire to feel successful and to feel that they have provided value to others.

___________

1. Nonsense. Insular means “isolated, withdrawn, like an island”. Cosmopolitan means “worldly”. Neither word makes sense in context.
2. Arguably, these are reversed. The author of passage A would say that such a person is focussed on themselves, and thus egocentric. The author of passage B would say that such a person wants to provide value to others, and thus is altruistic.
3. Neither author would say how happy such a person is. The question talks about a person who wants to make more money than their neighbors. So we don’t know if that person is richer than their neighbors or just wants to be.
4. CORRECT. The word misguided is supported by an overall view of passage A. The third paragraph of passage A shows that we are not good at predicting how extra money will affect our happiness. So someone seeking extra wealth is being silly.
   The author of passage B thinks that someone who wants to be rich really just wants to help others and provide value (the fourth paragraph of passage B). So wanting to be rich is a good thing.
5. This is completely unsupported. Neither passage mentions luck. Luck is only mentioned in answer C of question 16.
   And the first sentence of the second paragraph of passage B shows that the author of passage B disagrees with the theory that we are motivated by primeval urges of rivalry.