Distinguishing
Points of View
Master the skill of identifying who believes what in LSAT Reading Comprehension passages: separating the author's perspective from those of cited individuals, groups, and theories.
What Is a Point of View?
In LSAT Reading Comprehension, a point of view is a specific position, belief, or attitude held by a person or group mentioned in the passage. Every passage contains at least one viewpoint: the author's own perspective. Many passages also present the views of scholars, critics, proponents, or opposing camps.
The Landscape of Voices
LSAT passages layer multiple voices. Your job is to map each claim to its source and understand the author's attitude toward each voice.
Why This Skill Matters
The Core Principle
Signal Words and Attribution Cues
These attribution phrases are your road map. Every time you see one, mentally tag the claim that follows with its owner.
Author vs. Cited Source
| Author's View | Cited Source's View | |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced by | No attribution; first person; evaluative language | "X argues," "according to," "some believe" |
| Tone | Assertive, evaluative, conclusory | Reported, descriptive, distanced |
| Location | Often after a "however" or "but" pivot | Often in the opening paragraph or before a pivot |
| Purpose | Drives the passage's main argument | Provides context, contrast, or target for critique |
The Five-Step Method
Worked Example: Identifying Voices
Worked Example: Author Qualifying a View
Harder Example: Three Voices
When three or more voices appear, the author often rejects extreme positions in favor of a synthesis. The evaluative language ("more nuanced," "best supported") is the clearest marker of the author's own view.
Common Question Stems
Common Mistakes
The Attitude Spectrum
LSAT authors rarely sit at the extremes. Most passages feature qualified agreement or skepticism. Recognizing where the author falls on this spectrum is essential for answering "attitude" questions correctly.
Summary of Key Strategies
| Strategy | What to Look For | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Tag every voice | Names, groups, "some scholars" | Prevents misattribution errors |
| Find the pivot | "However," "but," "nevertheless" | Reveals where author's view begins |
| Track evaluative language | "Convincingly," "mistakenly," "rightly" | Shows author's attitude toward cited views |
| Read the question stem twice | "The author" vs. "According to X" | Ensures you answer about the right person |
| Eliminate extreme answers | "Always," "never," "completely" | Most LSAT authors are nuanced, not absolute |
Question 1 of 5
Passage excerpt: "Defenders of the traditional canon argue that the works selected for inclusion have demonstrated enduring aesthetic value. However, this view ignores the historical circumstances that shaped the selection process, which consistently privileged certain cultural perspectives over others."
The author's attitude toward the defenders of the traditional canon is best described as:
Question 2 of 5
Passage excerpt: "According to Reynolds, the shift toward digital media has fundamentally altered how audiences engage with narrative. While Reynolds's observation captures an important trend, it overstates the decline of traditional reading habits, which remain robust among certain demographics."
Which of the following best describes the author's view regarding Reynolds's claim?
Question 3 of 5
In an LSAT passage, the sentence "Some economists maintain that free trade invariably benefits all parties" most likely represents the view of:
Question 4 of 5
Speaker A: "The preservation of endangered languages is essential because each language encodes unique cultural knowledge that cannot be translated."
Speaker B: "While language preservation has cultural value, the claim that knowledge is untranslatable overstates the case. Effective translation, though imperfect, can preserve the core insights of any linguistic tradition."
The point at issue between Speaker A and Speaker B is whether:
Question 5 of 5
Passage excerpt: "Patel contends that urban green spaces primarily serve an aesthetic function. Municipal planners, by contrast, emphasize their role in stormwater management. In truth, both perspectives capture part of the picture, but neither sufficiently accounts for the mental health benefits that recent epidemiological studies have documented."
The author of the passage would most likely agree with which of the following statements?