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Topic: LAST
Strategy
Used: Eliminating Wrong Answers
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Incorrect answers on the LAST tend to fall into a few
categories. Being able to recognize these will help you eliminate
incorrect options.
Contradiction: This states the opposite view than what
is presented.
Distortion: This changes the author's intent. It gives it
a different meaning or interpretation than the author
intended.
Extreme: This is an all-or-none proposition. Rarely is
something true all of the time or none of the time.
Wrong Scope: The statement is generally accurate, but is
not the basic argument of the passage. It is usually a detail
that supports the argument.
Consider the following
example:
1. Advocates of foreign language study have reacted with
uncritical enthusiasm to recent surveys showing increased
enrollment in college-level foreign language classes. Most of the
classes in question, however, use conversational methods rather
than the traditional exercises in grammar and rigorous analysis
of literary texts. Unfortunately, by providing an easier way of
meeting language requirements for the bachelor's degree classes
will actually have the detrimental effect of decreasing the
number of graduates who are capable of appreciating the
subtleties of another culture's means of expression.
Which of the following is a major assumption of the argument
above?
- Abolishing the foreign language requirement for the
bachelor's degree would make conversation language classes more
attractive to students.
- A conversation course typically attracts more students than
does a literature course when a choice exists.
- Conversational courses do not provide the linguistic
insights that traditional grammar or literature courses
do.
- All college graduates should be required to have a reading
knowledge of at least one foreign language.
Think about the main ideas of this passage and put this into
your own words:
- The assumption behind the argument is that
conversational classes do not provide as much insight into
language as classes that are more traditional.
The rest of the passage supports the main idea but is not
helpful in answering the question.
Based on this information, the correct response for this
question is (C).
Let's look at the incorrect responses:
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Choice (A) is a distortion of the author's purpose.
This statement is irrelevant to the passage. The paragraph
says nothing about abolishing a foreign language requirement.
Choice (B) is an example of wrong scope. Whereas
this statement may be true, it does not address the main
ideas of the passage.
As for choice (D), rarely is an extreme response
the correct response (all college graduates...). Also,
this response is not supported in the passage.
Predicting each answer before reading the given response and
then eliminating incorrect responses will aid you greatly in
successfully completing the LAST.
Other Strategy
Sessions:
