LSAT PrepTest 159 - Section 2 - Passage 2 - Question 9

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The following two passages were adapted from articles published in 2005 and 2002, respectively.

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Two efforts to provide loans to poor people · State-run banks (unsuccessful), uncollateralized loans (more successful)

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Details about uncollateralized loan program · Reliance on group monitoring

This program worked and has spread around the world.

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Expansion of services · Another organization also offers savings accounts

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Details about SafeSave · Helps poor people save money

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Details about SafeSave · Relies on bank collectors rather than group monitoring

Prediction · SafeSave will become economically sustainable

Passage Style

By describing BRI as having ████ █ ████████ ████████████████ █████ ███████ ███████ ██ ███ █████ ███████████ ███ ██████ ██ ███████ █ ████ █████ ███ ██ ███ ██████████

Question Type

Purpose in context (of word, phrase, or idea)

Why does the author of Passage A mention that BRI was a failing, state-controlled lender? To understand the purpose of this reference, read the surrounding context. After mentioning that BRI was a failing, state-controlled lender, the author describes how BRI's transformation into a bank that provided savings accounts helped it become extremely successful. Also, observe that the author discusses BRI as an example showing that the assumption poor people don't need savings accounts is false.

deliberately contrasts BRI's ██████████████ ███████ ████ ███ ██████████████ █████████ ██ ███████ ████ ███ ████████

Passage A doesn't discuss SafeSave, so this can't be the purpose of the reference in Passage A.

supports the contention ██ ███████ █ ████ ██ ██ ████████████ █████████ ██ ███████ █████████ ████████ ██ ████ ██████ ██ █████ █████

The author of Passage A doesn't claim that it's difficult to provide financial services to poor people in rural areas. In any case, BRI is used to show the success of a particular approach, not to illustrate the difficulty of something.

provides the basis ██ ██ ███████████ ██ ███ ███ ██████ ███████ ████████ ██ ████████ ██ ████ ████████

The fact that BRI was a failing lender doesn't provide an explanation for why they began to offer savings accounts. The author never indicates that BRI decided to offer savings accounts because they had been failing.

17%

counters the view ███████ ██ ███████ █ ████ ███████████ ████████████ ████ ███ ██ ██████████ ██ ████ ███ ███ █████ ██ ███ ██████████ █████

There's no evidence the author of Passage B thinks microcredit institutions can't be successful if they aren't grassroots. Although Passage B arguably describes an approach that is successful and grassroots, this doesn't imply that grassroots approaches are necessary for success.

identifies BRI as ████████ ███ ██ ████ ███████ █ █████████ █████████████ ██ ██ ████████████ ████████ ██ █████████ █████████ ████████ ██ ████ ██████

This is the best answer. Passage A earlier identifies state-run banks as unsuccessful. BRI, as a formerly failing state-run lender, emerged from that unsuccessful approach.

73%

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PrepTest 159 - Section 2 - Passage 2 - Question 9

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