LSAT 144 | Section 1 | Reading Comprehension: Q20

RC Question 20 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Which one of the following is a central topic of…

DISCUSSION: The right answer will be in both passages for this type of question, usually. In this case, Passage B doesn’t directly state the term “negative evidence”, but the whole passage is quite obviously about the negative evidence of failed predictions, so the answer works.

The traps will often be things mentioned in one passage, but not both. Before choosing an answer like A, which is clearly in passage A, you should skim passage B to make sure it’s also there. (It’s not).

Getting a high score is all about making processes to catch errors. You need a process to avoid traps on comparative passages.

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1. Only passage A talks about this, in lines 5-7. Passage B never mentions a logical asymmetry.
2. Passage A doesn’t talk about planets. Only passage B does.
3. CORRECT. This is vague enough that it applies to both passages. Popper obviously discusses negative evidence in passage A. Passage B doesn’t say the words “negative evidence”, but failing to predict the orbits of planets is clearly a form of negative evidence.
4. Neither passage mentions this. Passage A says you can’t confirm a theory. And while Passage B mentions confirmation in lines 63-64, the passage doesn’t mention technique for confirmation.
5. Huh? Line 29 in passage A does mention experiments as being relevant. Passage B doesn’t mention experiments at all.