LSAT 147 | Section 3 | Reading Comprehension: Q1

RC Question 1 Explanation

DISCUSSION: The purpose of the passage is to describe a problem in forest management (paragraphs 1 and 2) and recommend a solution (paragraph 3).

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1. The passage never talked about ideology. And the author never said anyone is resisting the change. It’s possible that everyone wants to fix the forest fire problem. Our current situation could have simply been the result of a mistake, rather than any partisan ideology.
2. The passage doesn’t describe two different policies that have been put into place. The passage describes the results of one policy that has been in place (stopping all fires). Then the passage recommends putting another policy into place (fuel reduction and controlled burns). Only the first policy has actually been in place.
3. The passage never mentions funding.
4. CORRECT. Paragraphs 1 and 2 show that current policy has had bad results – forests are powder kegs that may suffer massive fires. The policy change is in paragraph 3: remove excess fuel and then allow periodic forest fires.
5. This answer describes a completely different situation. There’s no contradiction in the recommended policy. Allowing controlled forest fires isn’t contradictory to the goal of avoiding destructive fires. Instead, it supports the goal of avoiding destructive fires.
    
   Also, if this were the right answer, then the passage would have started by describing the new policy and the apparent contradiction. Instead, the passage started by describing the problems of the old policy.