LSAT Reading Comprehension Practice Test

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

Plessy v. Ferguson fundamentally contradicted the intentions of the radical Republican framers of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Justice Harlan's dissent in Plessy correctly identified the procedural flaws in the majority's reasoning regarding state power.

The Plessy decision's most damaging legacy was its successful narrowing of the Privileges or Immunities Clause, forcing subsequent civil rights challenges onto less effective legal grounds.

The Slaughter-House Cases created the legal precedent that made the "separate but equal" doctrine inevitable in Plessy v. Ferguson.

The Equal Protection Clause proved to be an ultimately ineffective tool for civil rights activists due to the high burden of proof it imposed.

Correct! Wrong!

The author refers to the Slaughter-House Cases (1873) primarily to:

provide the legal context that the Plessy majority used to justify its restricted reading of the Privileges or Immunities Clause.

illustrate a previous instance where Justice Harlan was the sole dissenting voice on a key constitutional matter.

argue that the Privileges or Immunities Clause had already been rendered useless prior to the Plessy decision.

contrast the Court's willingness to protect economic rights with its reluctance to protect civil rights.

suggest that the Plessy decision was merely an unavoidable consequence of earlier, more significant judicial errors.

Correct! Wrong!

It can be properly inferred from the passage that a legal challenge to segregation relying on the Privileges or Immunities Clause, if successful in 1897, would most likely have focused on:

the cost disparity between segregated facilities.

the inherent violation of a fundamental right of federal citizenship to be treated equally by the state.

the difficulty in proving that state segregation lacked a rational basis.

the original intent of the clause's framers to outlaw all forms of discrimination, even in private commerce.

the question of whether the majority in Plessy correctly applied the "equal" standard.

Correct! Wrong!

The author's description of the legal shift from the Privileges or Immunities Clause to the Equal Protection Clause is most analogous to which one of the following situations?

A hiker abandoning a clear, paved path in favor of a rocky, overgrown trail that is known to lead to the same destination.

A business owner choosing to market a product based on its luxury features after its core functionality is determined to be faulty.

A military commander shifting from an immediate, decisive frontal assault to a protracted siege campaign that requires months of resource investment.

A politician failing to secure the passage of a major bill and instead settling for a series of minor, less impactful regulatory changes.

A scientist realizing that her central hypothesis is unsupported by the data and instead trying to re-interpret the data to support a different, weaker hypothesis.

Correct! Wrong!

The author's attitude toward the majority opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson is best described as one of:

dispassionate analysis of judicial procedure.

measured admiration for legal consistency.

profound disapproval of the decision's legal maneuvers.

cautious optimism regarding the eventual repeal of the doctrine.

historical neutrality concerning an antiquated precedent.

Correct! Wrong!

The primary purpose of the passage is to:

critique the use of the term "modernism" in literary history as fundamentally inaccurate and misleading.

argue that modernist literature is best understood as a shift in technique that intensified existing Victorian literary concerns rather than a complete break from them.

detail the specific formal conventions of the Victorian novel that modernist writers explicitly rejected.

compare the linear narrative structures of Victorian novelists with the fragmented structures of modernist writers.

challenge the critical commonplace that stream-of-consciousness was the single most important innovation of the modernist period.

Correct! Wrong!

Which one of the following most closely matches the author's use of the term "sublimation" as it is applied to the modernist project?

A musician replacing acoustic instruments with electronic synthesizers to achieve a similar tonal effect.

A playwright adapting a long, epic poem into a short, intense one-act play focusing on a single character.

A painter moving from highly detailed realism to impressionism, where the subject is suggested rather than explicitly rendered.

A chef abandoning a traditional recipe entirely to invent a new dish using entirely novel ingredients.

An architect using older, classical structural elements but redesigning them to serve an entirely new, functional purpose.

Correct! Wrong!

The author would most likely agree with which one of the following statements about George Eliot's novels?

They were limited by an over-reliance on a purely chronological and linear account of events.

They were pioneering in their early use of stream-of-consciousness to depict internal mental life.

They exhibit a thematic interest in the concept of time, though their formal approach to it differs from that of modernist writers.

They suffered critically because their detailed social realism was seen as less sophisticated than later modernist works.

They failed to fully explore the concept of "duration" as defined by Henri Bergson.

Correct! Wrong!

The author's stance regarding the common critical understanding of modernism is best characterized as:

dismissal, because the author believes the two periods are indistinguishable.

acknowledgment of its general utility, followed by a persuasive qualification.

acceptance, but with the caveat that the definition needs minor clarification.

neutrality, aiming only to present both sides of the literary debate.

confusion, due to the difficulty of classifying the works of Woolf and Joyce.

Correct! Wrong!

The passage indicates that modernist writers differed from Victorian writers primarily in:

the rejection of philosophical anxieties related to time and consciousness.

the subjects they chose to write about (e.g., social vs. psychological themes).

their preference for unmediated access to a character's internal mental life.

their ultimate goal of achieving narrative mastery over historical time.

the degree to which they relied on the figure of the omniscient narrator.

Correct! Wrong!

Which one of the following best summarizes the main point of the passage?

Regulatory bodies must focus on reducing low-frequency noise to protect the world’s baleen whale populations from shipping traffic.

High-frequency acoustic smog from small vessels is a newly discovered phenomenon that has less impact on the marine environment than low-frequency shipping noise.

The deep ocean is not the silent environment marine biologists once believed it to be, requiring new research into all forms of marine acoustic pollution.

Effective marine noise reduction policy must address both low-frequency noise from large ships and high-frequency acoustic smog from small vessels to protect all levels of the marine food web.

The primary threat to coastal fisheries is the reduction in feeding efficiency and the increase in cortisol levels caused by acoustic pollution.

Correct! Wrong!

The author mentions the effects of low-frequency noise on baleen whales in the first paragraph primarily to:

establish a historical baseline of how marine noise pollution has traditionally been studied and understood.

argue that baleen whales are the most vulnerable species to all types of acoustic pollution.

contrast the behavioral responses of megafauna with the physical effects observed in fish species.

provide an example of noise pollution that is not yet regulated by international policy.

suggest that the communication bandwidth of baleen whales is unique among marine mammals.

Correct! Wrong!

It can be inferred from the passage that a fish whose larval stage uses ambient sound to navigate is most likely to be negatively affected by high-frequency acoustic smog because:

the high-frequency noise is louder than the low-frequency noise and travels further.

its necessary nursery habitats are typically located in the deep ocean, far from coastal noise.

the high-frequency noise blocks the perception of the subtle sounds used for locating optimal environments.

it is one of the commercially important fish species whose feeding efficiency is reduced by the noise.

the source of the noise—small recreational vessels—is highly localized and intense.

Correct! Wrong!

According to the passage, the high-frequency noise generated by small vessels differs from the low-frequency noise of large ships in that the high-frequency noise:

is not considered anthropogenic.

is easier for regulatory bodies to control.

is more widely dispersed across coastal habitats.

travels farther than the low-frequency noise.

primarily interferes with mating behavior rather than foraging.

Correct! Wrong!

The author's description of high-frequency noise as "acoustic smog" in shallow-water habitats is most analogous to:

a high-powered spotlight that temporarily blinds an animal.

a persistent, low-level atmospheric haze that obscures a clear view of the night sky across a large region.

a singular, catastrophic oil spill that quickly damages one specific area of the ocean.

a large, deep chasm that physically prevents animals from crossing from one habitat to another.

a loud, percussive sound, like a thunderclap, that occurs only briefly.

Correct! Wrong!

LSAT Reading Comprehension Quiz

Outstanding LSAT Reading!

You demonstrate exceptional skill in analyzing dense, scholarly text and drawing precise inferences. Keep utilizing official LSAT materials to maintain this momentum!

Strong Performance!

Great work! Your comprehension is solid. Focus your review on 'Function' and 'Inference' questions to push into the top score tier.

Good Effort!

Reading Comprehension requires consistent practice. Focus on identifying the author’s main point and paragraph structure before moving to the questions.

Answer key and Explanation here.

LSAT Reading Comprehension Practice Test

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

The author refers to the Slaughter-House Cases (1873) primarily to:

It can be properly inferred from the passage that a legal challenge to segregation relying on the Privileges or Immunities Clause, if successful in 1897, would most likely have focused on:

The author's description of the legal shift from the Privileges or Immunities Clause to the Equal Protection Clause is most analogous to which one of the following situations?

The author's attitude toward the majority opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson is best described as one of:

The primary purpose of the passage is to:

Which one of the following most closely matches the author's use of the term "sublimation" as it is applied to the modernist project?

The author would most likely agree with which one of the following statements about George Eliot's novels?

The author's stance regarding the common critical understanding of modernism is best characterized as:

The passage indicates that modernist writers differed from Victorian writers primarily in:

Which one of the following best summarizes the main point of the passage?

The author mentions the effects of low-frequency noise on baleen whales in the first paragraph primarily to:

It can be inferred from the passage that a fish whose larval stage uses ambient sound to navigate is most likely to be negatively affected by high-frequency acoustic smog because:

According to the passage, the high-frequency noise generated by small vessels differs from the low-frequency noise of large ships in that the high-frequency noise:

The author's description of high-frequency noise as "acoustic smog" in shallow-water habitats is most analogous to:

About the author

Ambreena

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

The author refers to the Slaughter-House Cases (1873) primarily to:

It can be properly inferred from the passage that a legal challenge to segregation relying on the Privileges or Immunities Clause, if successful in 1897, would most likely have focused on:

The author's description of the legal shift from the Privileges or Immunities Clause to the Equal Protection Clause is most analogous to which one of the following situations?

The author's attitude toward the majority opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson is best described as one of:

The primary purpose of the passage is to:

Which one of the following most closely matches the author's use of the term "sublimation" as it is applied to the modernist project?

The author would most likely agree with which one of the following statements about George Eliot's novels?

The author's stance regarding the common critical understanding of modernism is best characterized as:

The passage indicates that modernist writers differed from Victorian writers primarily in:

Which one of the following best summarizes the main point of the passage?

The author mentions the effects of low-frequency noise on baleen whales in the first paragraph primarily to:

It can be inferred from the passage that a fish whose larval stage uses ambient sound to navigate is most likely to be negatively affected by high-frequency acoustic smog because:

According to the passage, the high-frequency noise generated by small vessels differs from the low-frequency noise of large ships in that the high-frequency noise:

The author's description of high-frequency noise as "acoustic smog" in shallow-water habitats is most analogous to:

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About the author

Ambreena