Having the hardest time answering the Main Point question in RC

tringo335

Whyyyy is this so hard for me?? I am on RC on the Ultimate + (I upgraded yay!) and I'm finding that the hardest questions in the set for me are the first ones -- 'What is the main point'. In my mind there is just so much information, I can't seem to figure out which concept is the main point unless it's a super easy passage. Anyone have any tips? Is there anything that gives a general 'clue' about what sentence/thought is the Main point?

GrecoRoman

This used to be a big problem for me too and I know the frustration. I just kept drilling more and more and eventually I got to the point where I just understood the main point because I knew what to look for as I was reading. Asking yourself why the author is writing this paragraph and trying to understand the main point of each paragraph can help you piece it all together at the end. Actively reading to anticipate what will potentially be asked in the questions seemed to be help a lot as well. It took me a bit more time but it was worth it when I got to the questions.

I think getting more familiarity with the passages is ultimately what you need to succeed in RC. It was hard for me at first to try and anticipate and wonder where the author was going with the passage, while simultaneously trying to read for clarity and understanding, but after enough passages I just seemed to happen naturally. So keep at it and eventually it should become easier for you. Best of luck.

Alex

@tringo335 said:
Whyyyy is this so hard for me?? I am on RC on the Ultimate + (I upgraded yay!) and I'm finding that the hardest questions in the set for me are the first ones -- 'What is the main point'. In my mind there is just so much information, I can't seem to figure out which concept is the main point unless it's a super easy passage. Anyone have any tips? Is there anything that gives a general 'clue' about what sentence/thought is the Main point?

Try to focus your mind on seeing the "big picture" rather than focusing on just one paragraph of the passage. As @"work all week" said above, practice certainly helps, as it does with everything else on the LSAT. All @"work all week" 's advice is solid as well and I will second it.

As far as tips go, this doesn't always work, but one thing you can do is to see if there are any "Global Purpose" questions, e.g., things like, "What was the author's purpose in writing this passage?" The right answer to that question will often be an abstract version of the right answer to the Main Point question. So if you can't answer the MP one first, try answering the Global Purpose one, and see if that can offer you any help with the MP question.

akistotle

I think you should try making low-resolution/high-resolution summaries while reading the passage.

For example, these are Mentor @Sami 's low-resolution/high-resolution summaries of PT3.S3.Passage 1:
https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-3-section-3-passage-1-passage/#comment-59826

While you are reading you should:
1) Have a low-resolution summary of each paragraph first and then think of a high-resolution summary second.
2) Find a connection between the paragraphs.
3) Predict what the author is going to say next.

Somehow it's harder to remember the structure and the main point when you first try to remember little details in the passage.

Good luck

Freddy_D

Reading for structure and connecting the paragraphs are two things that have helped me a ton. I also stopped paying as much attention to the minute details in favor of understanding the passage as a whole.

acsimon

All of these sorts of advice are good--I'll just add another which seems to be what helps me answer MP questions effectively on RC.

You can usually decipher the main point by looking at the first/last sentences of each paragraph with special attention to those of the first and last. This seems to help because it forces you to (a) jettison the details of the passage (which can be misleading here), and (b) gives you a sense of the thread of the passage with the weight placed on the "ends" the thread (where the main point is liable to be initially signaled, or concluded in a summary statement).

Try this where you are unsure, and see if it improves your accuracy with respect to these question types.

tringo335

Thanks guys for he responses! @Freddy_D Ive been using your tactic for the past week and actively reading and it's gotten a lot better.

Freddy_D

@tringo335 said:
Thanks guys for he responses! @Freddy_D Ive been using your tactic for the past week and actively reading and it's gotten a lot better.

That's awesome! Keep it up!