Tools to Understand Difficult Text

FHChick99

One of the biggest barriers to getting the points on questions associated with curvebreaker stimuli and passages is understanding what the heck is going on in the text. Just like you need to understand how the rules of a game function/interact before going to into the ACs, you also need to understand the argument and concepts discussed in a stimulus or passage; otherwise, it's like shooting in the dark when you move into the ACs. Sometimes, I think we take the importance of up-front comprehension for granted. So, I wanted to broach the question to you all: what concrete strategies and/or tools do you use when you come across a complex, abstract text to understand/comprehend that text?

Here are some examples of the tools that I've found helpful/useful:
-translating the stimulus by condensing the language and making it conversational
-drawing out/visualizing
-thinking of examples and plugging them in to the world of the stimulus/passage

I'd love to hear what strategies and tools others use! Please share below

The Great White Shark

That is so true about visualizing! As a result the LSAT has actually helped me to build a stronger imagination and to be more creative. Who would have thought.

I also break down complex sentences that use referential phrases. Whenever I read a sentence and start to think “Wait, what did that just say?”, I make sure I understand what the vague words are referring to.