- As used in the passage, the phrase "such documentation" (line 40) most directly refers to which of the following?
Answer: Creating high-resolution images supplemented by oral histories, maps, and contextual notes about the works
The phrase points back to the curators' proposed archival practice of imaging street art and pairing it with rich contextual materials. The other choices describe physical removal, internal cataloging, in situ preservation, or theoretical writing, none of which matches the described documentation.
- The author's use of the phrase "these mechanisms" most nearly indicates
Answer: procedural requirements such as notice-and-comment rulemaking, judicial review, and transparency obligations
When tackling reference resolution in LSAT passages, start by locating the phrase and working backward to find what it logically points to, using the paragraph's structure as your guide. 'These mechanisms' in the third paragraph refers back to the procedural requirements listed right before, like notice-and-comment rulemaking, judicial review, and transparency obligations, which are proposed as ways to constrain agency discretion. The correct choice, A, accurately captures this antecedent by listing those exact examples, showing how they both enable accountability and can cause delays. A common trap is B, which mentions professional norms, but those are discussed earlier and aren't the direct referent here. Teach yourself to follow the pronoun's pointer: it connects to the remedies just introduced. Ultimately, succeed in these questions by prioritizing contextual meaning over superficial similarities, ensuring the reference resolves precisely.
- The phrase 'that assumption' (line 12) refers to which of the following?
Answer: The belief that punishment must involve suffering proportionate to the wrong
Immediately prior, the passage frames the dispute as whether punishment is essentially about suffering, and reformers reject that assumption. Thus it refers to the retributive assumption that punishment must involve proportionate suffering. The other options do not capture the specific assumption being rejected in that sentence.
- The phrase 'This approach' (line 10) refers to which of the following policy strategies?
Answer: Sequencing co-management councils, rotating trial closures, and delayed permanent designations
The passage defines 'This approach' as the sequence of co-management, rotating closures, and later permanent zones. The other choices describe enforcement-only tactics, subsidies, or unrelated strategies. The sentence immediately before and after the phrase summarize the components and results of the approach.
- The phrase 'Such critics' (line 10) refers to which of the following groups?
Answer: Budget hawks and personal-responsibility commentators concerned about lax behavior
The phrase refers to opponents who worry that removing fines invites lax behavior, namely budget hawks and personal-responsibility commentators. The other choices describe supporters, affected patrons, funders, or researchers, none of whom are the 'critics' cited. The passage explicitly contrasts 'such critics' with library leaders who favor fine elimination.
- The phrase "such safeguards" most nearly refers to
Answer: the legal protections that set minimum floors for species preservation and related constraints on trading habitats
This reference resolution question asks what "such safeguards" refers to in the conservation passage. The phrase appears in: "Even with such safeguards, valuation methods depend on assumptions about discount rates..." To find the antecedent, we trace back to the previous paragraph, which discusses safeguards that "proponents of ecosystem-service valuation propose." These include using valuation "to identify 'no-regret' policies" rather than "to justify trading unique habitats for short-term gains," and "combining economic metrics with legal protections that set minimum floors for species preservation." The second safeguard—legal protections that set minimum floors for species preservation—matches choice A precisely. Choice C might seem tempting because it mentions "translating ecosystem services into economic terms," but that describes the general practice being safeguarded, not the safeguards themselves. The reference points specifically to the protective measures designed to prevent misuse of economic valuation.
- The phrase "these interventions" most nearly refers to
Answer: anti-displacement measures such as rent stabilization, community land trusts, or targeted tax relief
LSAT reference resolution builds on understanding how phrases echo prior ideas, so trace them by checking for grammatical and thematic consistency. 'These interventions' is in the third paragraph, following the proposal of anti-displacement measures like rent stabilization, land trusts, or tax relief. It directly points to these specific policy tools. Choice B captures this by describing those anti-displacement actions. D could be tempting as it mentions broader dynamics, but that's the cause, not the 'interventions' themselves. Remember to resolve references through contextual meaning, not just nearby terms.
- The phrase "this interpretation" (line 28) refers to which of the following?
Answer: The revisionist view that preexisting merchant networks pressured rulers to formalize practices
The passage uses "this interpretation" to name the revisionist account that commerce predated and influenced political formalization. The other options describe the traditional thesis, a critique of sources, an opposing reading of charters, or a general method, not the specific interpretation being reframed.
- The phrase "trained sensitivity" most nearly refers to
Answer: the cultivated ability to notice which features are morally relevant in a given situation
To resolve "trained sensitivity," we need to identify what this phrase describes in moral particularism. The term appears in: "They emphasize the role of moral perception: the cultivated ability to notice which features matter in a given situation." The sentence then continues: "But if guidance can be provided by trained sensitivity to context, then the absence of strict principles may not entail arbitrariness." The phrase "trained sensitivity" refers back to "moral perception," which is described as "the cultivated ability to notice which features matter in a given situation." This represents the particularist alternative to rule-following: instead of applying universal principles, moral agents develop the capacity to perceive what's morally relevant in specific contexts. Choice B might be tempting because it mentions "defeasible principles," but that describes the opposing principle-based approach. The reference points to the perceptual skill that particularists see as central to moral judgment.
- The phrase "this plan" (line 33) refers to which of the following?
Answer: The incremental, community-led park renovation strategy centered on stewardship and phased upgrades
Immediately before the phrase, the passage contrasts the administration's phased, stewardship-based approach with the single, bond-funded overhaul; "this plan" refers to the former. The other choices describe competing proposals, evidence, or legal constraints, not the plan being championed.
- The phrase "that slide" most nearly refers to
Answer: the move from treating a model as useful within limits to treating it as literally depicting reality
To resolve "that slide," we examine the final sentence: "The point is not to abandon modeling, but to resist that slide from usefulness to unwarranted realism." The phrase "from usefulness to unwarranted realism" directly defines what "that slide" means—it's the problematic transition from treating a model as a useful tool to treating it as literal reality. This connects to the third paragraph's warning: "When researchers treat a model's output as decisive without attending to its simplifying assumptions, they risk confusing convenience with truth." Answer A perfectly captures this: "the move from treating a model as useful within limits to treating it as literally depicting reality." Answer E ("a general change in attitude") is too vague and misses the specific nature of the slide being described. When a reference includes "from X to Y" language, that construction often defines exactly what the reference means.
- The phrase "these methods" (line 31) most nearly refers to which of the following?
Answer: Assisted-evolution techniques like selective breeding and thermal preconditioning of corals
Immediately prior to the phrase, the passage details assisted-evolution practices (selective breeding and acclimation) and then labels "these methods" as tools. The other choices describe different management strategies or monitoring, not the specific suite just summarized.
- The phrase 'This approach' (line 14) most directly refers to which of the following?
Answer: The foreignization strategy that retains strangeness to foreground mediation
Immediately after describing Venuti's aims, 'This approach' refers to the foreignization strategy that foregrounds mediation and difficulty. The other choices describe Skopos theory, market preferences, a fluency ideal, or a critique, not the approach named.
- The phrase 'This interpretation' (line 13) most nearly refers to which of the following?
Answer: The reading that the panels function as dynastic propaganda asserting jurisdiction
The phrase follows a description of scholars who see the panels as advertising patrons' power, i.e., a propagandistic reading. The other options either state the older agrarian-allegory consensus or unrelated alternative purposes. The sentence explicitly evaluates the propaganda reading's strengths and challenges.
- The phrase "such interventions" most nearly refers to
Answer: museum restoration actions such as cleaning varnish, repairing tears, or replacing missing elements
As a tutor, I teach that resolving references means pinpointing the antecedent by examining what actions or ideas the phrase directly modifies in context. 'Such interventions' in the third paragraph points back to the restoration practices mentioned immediately prior, like cleaning varnish, repairing tears, or replacing missing elements in artworks. Choice A precisely captures this by listing those museum actions, aligning with the critics' concerns about altering historical authenticity. A tempting distractor is B, involving technical analyses, but those relate to attribution, not restoration debates. Follow the logic: the phrase summarizes the restorative steps critics question. Remember, effective resolution relies on meaning and context over mere closeness, helping you distinguish the true referent from nearby concepts.
- The author's use of the phrase "this requirement" most nearly indicates
Answer: the expectation that critics demonstrate how specific textual patterns support an interpretation
Reference resolution requires linking the phrase to its antecedent via the paragraph's argumentative flow, focusing on what it specifically denotes. 'This requirement' in the second paragraph points to the need for critics to demonstrate how textual patterns like diction or imagery support interpretations, as part of close reading's discipline. Choice A correctly identifies this expectation, tying back to anchoring claims in details to avoid projections. B could tempt by mentioning publishing influences, but that's from a later contrasting view, not this requirement. Trace it: the phrase summarizes the demonstration rule just stated. Always resolve references by meaning and context, not proximity alone, to pinpoint the exact idea without conflating sections.
- In the passage, the phrase 'that assumption' most nearly refers to which of the following?
Answer: The premise that similarity in artifacts necessarily reflects direct contact or diffusion
The phrase 'that assumption' points back to the premise the passage says is rarely stated explicitly: that stylistic similarity between artifacts must reflect direct contact or diffusion. The passage sets this up by noting that some researchers treat stylistic overlap as decisive, contending that only diffusion can explain it, and counters that convergent solutions to similar problems are common. (C) states that premise. (E) names the migration pathway instead — the conclusion the assumption licenses rather than the assumption itself, which is what the passage warns against treating as established. (A), (B), and (D) cite other claims in the passage — corridor timing, seafaring capacity, and genetic bottlenecks — that the demonstrative does not pick up.
