The Reading Comprehension section of LSAT contains three passages, along with one dual pair of related, short passages. This variant of reading comprehension is referred to as ‘comparative reading’ in LSAT. The questions based on these two passages examine the relationship between the passages such as key ideas, similarities and differences. Comparative reading was introduced in 2007 to simulate law school work which often involves reading and analyzing two texts in combination with one another.
If you are following our best strategies for reading comprehension section, you do not need to have any special preparation for comparative reading. Just like other passages, comparative reading passages are followed by 5-8 questions which need to be answered on the basis of both the passages.
The key for comparative reading is that the passages relate to each other in many ways. The various relationships may be based on generalization or instance, principle and their applications, or counterpoints. In some cases both passages may agree with each other while in others they may contradict each other. One passage may lay down a set of principles while the other passage may indicate applications of those principles.
What else you can do inside qs leap ?
Your approach to answering questions will be similar to other passages in the reading comprehension section. You have to analyze and understand the key points of both the passages. In addition, you have to examine relationships looking at the various similarities and differences. You will also need to identify the tone and opinion of the author.
A good way to tackle comparative reading passages is to understand the first passage thoroughly before moving on to the second one. Once you have identified the key points in the first passage; read the second passage, identify the key pointers along with relationships and proceed towards tackling the questions.
Read Next: Strategies for LSAT Reading Comprehension Section.
