LSAT 158 | Section 1 | Reading Comprehension: Q20

RC Question 20 Explanation

DISCUSSION: This is pretty similar to Question 18. We’re asked to identify the relationship between the two passages. In general terms, the relationship is that passage B is assessing passage A. Kewes, the author of passage B, mostly criticizes Ricks, the author of passage A. But, she doesn’t think he is entirely wrong.

The italicized text above the passages tells us that passage B is an essay introducing passage A’s book, so we should expect B is a commentary on A. Always read the italicized text on comparative passages.

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1. I guess you could argue that passage B makes a recommendation: it says we should do history and reconstruct the attitudes of the past. But the author of passage B criticizes passage A for not sticking to this recommendation. Ricks, the author of passage A, wishes to condemn past plagiarism using modern morals. See paragraph 3, passage B.
2. Passage B actually undermines the argument in Passage A, not the other way around.
3. This answer says passage A errs in some details….what details are we talking about? Passage B doesn’t really get into them, and instead disagrees with A on a larger fundamental issue: how history should be regarded.
    
   The key to dismissing this answer is to examine Kewes’ criticism of passage A. She says “Yet bad history is no argument against history itself”. .
    
   Let’s deconstruct this. “Bad history” refers to Rosenthal, the historian that passage A criticized. Kewes agreed that Ricks was right to criticize Rosenthal. But Kewes’ argument is that Ricks overgeneralizes. He proves Rosenthal is bad, but then tries to impose his own view of plagiarism on the past. Kewes’ argument is we must take the past as it was and not impose our views. So, the opposite of this answer is correct: Kewes agrees with Ricks on the details but disagrees on his broader conclusions.
    
   Example of disagreeing about details: Ricks says that the Athenians disagreed with plagiarism, but actually their view was more nuanced. Ricks also says that in 1573 Bertoletti made a claim about plagiarism, but actually the quote is from Rigoretto in 1478. Further, Ricks misunderstands the French view of plagiarism in 1845, and….
4. CORRECT. Passage B’s author admits that Ricks (Passage A’s author) makes some valid points, but the situation isn’t as clear as he makes it out to be. See paragraph 3 of passage B: the author says Ricks is “rightly” dismissive of Rosenthal and says “it is also true” about another of his views. But then the “yet” shows that ultimately the author disagrees with Ricks. She thinks he is dismissing history, an extreme position.
5. Passage B only thinks that some of the assertions in passage A are misguided, not all. See the start of paragraph 3: the author says that Ricks is “rightly” dismissive. This shows approval, and Ricks is the author of passage A.