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Hello,
Ive been really struggling with the main point or main idea questions in RC, I consistently get the first question wrong and I was wondering if anyone had any insights or tips on how to overcome this. Thank you! :)
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5 comments
Sometimes it helps if you rephrase the question a bit. Instead of saying "what's the main point," say "the entire reason the author wrote this passage was to convince me that..." I find that helps distinguish between answers that are true--something the author did say--but not the main point.
Another way to think about it is that the right answer needs to be broad enough to cover for all the content in the passage, even though it doesn't have to name check every concept from the passage. A lot of times people bite on the wrong answer because there's a word that they want to see in the answer because that word was used a lot in the passage, or it's the most natural word to describe the passage, and they avoid the right answer because it doesn't have that word they want to see.
authors point of view
I didn't start getting these questions right until after my last tutor session. The correct answer will touch on all aspects of the passage. Common trap answers are too narrow. I recommend reviewing the RC passage types as the style of the passage often determines the structure of the correct answer.
For example, a problem-solution passage's correct answer will always say: Here is the problem and here is (are) the solution(s).
Don't even look at the questions after you finish reading. Stop and ask yourself: "What is the author trying to get me to believe by reading this passage?" Then go to the question and find the best match. If you're still struggling with this, it helps to study the common passage styles so you can get more familiar with common passage structures and how they relate to author purposes/MPs :)
All things LSAT I have rewired my mind to speak positively about the things I don’t like lol RC is at the top of the list. Fast forward to what works for me thinking and viewing RC as a must be true question. Whatever the answer is has to be something I absolutely can prove in the passage. Secondly sometimes it takes a minute to figure things out so I work backwards either by negating or process of elimination.
Digging deeper for the things I struggle with included me talking out loud until I understand. A live class might also help you.