All flashcards
Flashcard 1: Identify the referent: "Researchers interviewed doctors and patients. They reported high stress." Who reported high stress?
Answer: Patients. Stress reporting fits patients (interviewees) not researchers.
Flashcard 2: What is reference resolution in LSAT Reading Comprehension?
Answer: Identifying what a pronoun or pointer phrase refers to in context. Pronouns and phrases like "this" point back to earlier nouns or ideas.
Flashcard 3: Identify the referent: “A and B were proposed. The former is cheaper.” What is “the former”?
Answer: A. "Former" refers to the first item in the preceding list.
Flashcard 4: What does “the latter” refer to when two items were just listed?
Answer: The second of the two items. In a pair, "latter" always means the second mentioned.
Flashcard 5: What does “the former” refer to when two items were just listed?
Answer: The first of the two items. In a pair, "former" always means the first mentioned.
Flashcard 6: What is the most common trap in reference resolution questions?
Answer: Choosing a nearby noun that fits grammar but does not fit the author’s logic. Test answers trap you with grammatically correct but illogical matches.
Flashcard 7: What is the key grammatical check when resolving “this/that” used as a noun?
Answer: It must refer to a specific prior idea, claim, event, or situation. "This" as a noun points to abstract concepts, not just objects.
Flashcard 8: What is the key grammatical check when resolving “it/its”?
Answer: Singular agreement: the antecedent must be singular and non-human in context. "It" refers to singular things, not people in formal writing.
Flashcard 9: What is the key grammatical check when resolving “they/their/them”?
Answer: Plural agreement: the antecedent must be plural or a plural collective. "They" can only refer to plural nouns or groups.
Flashcard 10: What is a pointer phrase that often requires reference resolution?
Answer: A phrase like “this,” “that,” “these,” “such,” or “the former/latter”. These demonstratives point to previously mentioned concepts.
Flashcard 11: What is an antecedent in reference resolution?
Answer: The earlier noun phrase that a later pronoun or pointer refers to. The pronoun points back to this previously mentioned noun or phrase.
Flashcard 12: What is the primary rule for resolving a pronoun reference in a passage?
Answer: Match the pronoun to the nearest grammatically and logically valid antecedent. Look for the closest noun that agrees in number and makes logical sense.
Flashcard 13: What is the correct resolution rule when two candidates fit grammar but only one fits causality?
Answer: Choose the antecedent that makes the stated cause-and-effect coherent. Logic trumps proximity when both options fit grammatically.
Flashcard 14: Identify the referent: “A and B were proposed. The latter is cheaper.” What is “the latter”?
Answer: B. "Latter" refers to the second item in the preceding list.
Flashcard 15: Identify the referent: “The committee rejected the plan because it was risky.” What does “it” refer to?
Answer: The plan. "It" refers to what was rejected (the plan), not who rejected.
Flashcard 16: Identify the referent: “The plan angered the committee because it felt ignored.” What does “it” refer to?
Answer: The committee. "It" refers to what felt ignored (committee), matching the emotion.
Flashcard 17: Identify the referent: “Researchers tested two drugs. They reduced symptoms.” What does “They” refer to?
Answer: The two drugs. "They" refers to what reduced symptoms (the drugs tested).
Flashcard 18: Identify the referent: “Researchers tested two drugs. They were skeptical.” What does “They” refer to?
Answer: The researchers. "They" refers to who felt skeptical (the researchers).
Flashcard 19: Identify the referent: “The author rejects the hypothesis. This is surprising.” What does “This” refer to?
Answer: The author’s rejection of the hypothesis. "This" refers to the action described (rejecting the hypothesis).
Flashcard 20: Identify the referent: “The policy reduced costs but increased delays. This undermined support.” What does “This” refer to?
Answer: The increase in delays (the immediately prior outcome causing the effect). "This" refers to the negative outcome that caused the undermining.
Flashcard 21: What is the best practice when “this/that” could refer to multiple prior ideas?
Answer: Tie it to the specific claim that the current sentence evaluates or explains. Match "this/that" to the idea the sentence directly comments on.
Flashcard 22: Identify the referent: "Maria criticized Elena because she was late." Who was late if "because" gives the reason for criticizing?
Answer: Elena was late. "Because" clause explains Maria's action, so lateness belongs to Elena.
Flashcard 23: Identify the referent: "Some argue the law deters innovation. This argument assumes firms avoid risk." What does "This argument" refer to?
Answer: The claim that the law deters innovation. "This argument" points to the entire preceding claim about deterrence.
Flashcard 24: Identify the referent: "The policy had one flaw: it ignored rural costs." What does "one flaw" refer to?
Answer: Ignoring rural costs. The colon introduces the specific flaw being identified.
Flashcard 25: Identify the referents: "Cats and dogs are agile and loyal, respectively." Which trait matches dogs?
Answer: Loyal. "Respectively" pairs items in order: cats-agile, dogs-loyal.
Flashcard 26: Identify the referent: "The study found no effect, a result that critics dispute." What does "a result" refer to?
Answer: The finding of no effect. Appositives rename or restate the immediately preceding phrase.
Flashcard 27: Identify the referent: "Two theories emerged: A and B. The latter gained support." Which theory gained support?
Answer: Theory B. "Latter" always refers to the second of two previously mentioned items.
Flashcard 28: Identify the referent: "The committee rejected the proposal. This surprised analysts." What does "This" refer to?
Answer: The committee rejecting the proposal. "This" refers to the entire action/event, not just the proposal.
Flashcard 29: Identify the referent: "Maria criticized Elena because she was strict." Who was strict if it explains the criticism?
Answer: Maria was strict. Strictness explains why Maria criticized, making it Maria's trait.
Flashcard 30: Identify the referent: "The theory is elegant, but it is untestable." What is "it"?
Answer: the theory. "It" refers to the singular noun "theory" that can be untestable.