LSAT 80, Reading Comprehension, Q9, LSATHacks

RC Question 9 Explanation, by LSATHacks

DISCUSSION: For hints at passage structure, you can read the first lines of each paragraph.

• Paragraph 3: We propose that….
• Paragraph 4: Empirical studies show….

In paragraphs 3 and 4 the authors are proposing a theory to explain the persistence of the great migration, and providing evidence for their theory.

___________

1. The explanation in paragraph 1 is one the authors agree with! The “In short” on line 16 shows they accept this.
   So, they certainly don’t cast doubt on an explanation they agree with.
2. This didn’t happen. The passage tells us nothing about what effects the Great Migration had.
3. Actually, most of the evidence was in paragraphs 1 and 4. In those paragraphs the authors explain the start and continuance of the Great Migration, respectively. Paragraph 2, by contrast, raises a question about the Great Migration.
   So, this answer utterly fails to match the passage.
   It’s true that paragraph 3 describes a historical model, but this model isn’t derived from the passage. Instead, it’s derived from “previous research” (lines 29-31).
4. CORRECT. A careful reading of the second paragraph shows this answer is right. In that paragraph, the authors show that the initial cause of the Great Migration is clear, but its persistence isn’t. In paragraphs 3 and 4 the authors are trying to explain this persistence. Paragraph 3 presents a general model of migration, and paragraph 4 gives specific evidence that shows the Great Migration followed this model.
5. Actually, no evidence is made for the claims in the first paragraph. They’re about the start of the Great Migration, and the authors want us to assume the claims are more or less accepted history (i.e. “most accounts point to”, line 6).
   Paragraphs 3 and 4 are about a different period, the continuance of the Great Migration in later decades.

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