Q1

[valjohnson948]

I crossed off A because it says "in reaction to dominant TRENDS" (emphasis on the plural of "trends). The passage talks about the "prevailing trend" (which is singular). So, how can this be correct?

I ended up choosing B, which I wasn't too happy about, but it was the only answer choice left for me. I am still unsure as to why B would be wrong. Is it because Whatley's approach is NOT sensitive to the demands of the consumer?

Any help would be MUCH appreciated!

[christine.defenbaugh]

Great question, valjohnson948!

For Main Point questions, it's critical that you get the overall thrust of the passage. Wrong answers will often correctly express a narrow detail, or the bigger picture the passage might be situated within (i.e., get the scope wrong). Or they might distort altogether some critical aspect of the author's argument.

What wrong answers will not do (here or anywhere else on the LSAT), is hinge on tiny, hairsplitting connotation issues. Wrong answers on the LSAT may be based on only a word, but if so, there is something substantial and definitive about that one word issue.

So, what's the real difference between a trend and trends? If I want to talk about the current obsession with tablets and smartphones, will I discuss "the current trend in portable technology" (i.e., lumping the smartphone and the tablet together somehow) or "the current trends in portable technology" (i.e., referring to them as separate categories within a larger point). Who knows? Poh-tay-toh, pah-tah-toh.

There's no correct answer to that - either usage of the word 'trend' is acceptable. Therefore, the LSAT isn't going to make a wrong answer wrong on that basis.

So, let's return to the true task at hand: finding the main point. The first sentence gives us the background we need to understand the problem: life is pretty bleak for small farms. The entire rest of the passage is dedicated to Whatley's new approach meant to counter this current reality. Understanding this balance is critical to correctly locating the scope of the passage.

(A) matches up with this perfectly. The "dominant trends in agriculture" are referred to in that first sentence, and the rest of the passage is the "set of recommendations" meant to help small farms thrive.



Not The Point
(B) Way too narrow! Whatley's approach may appear to be more sensitive to the demands of the consumer. However, this is a very minor detail mentioned only in paragraph 2. The passage is really about small farms' potential for profitability.

(C) Too broad. The passage is not a general critique of the trend in agriculture. That general trend is only mentioned in the very first sentence, and only as background to situate the main event.

(D) Whatley never stresses that without CMCs, small farms risk failure. Even if he did, CMCs are only a smart part of the overall passage, which is trained on the numerous ways to increase the potential for small farms' profitability.

(E) No predictions are made about small farms threatening large-farm dominance in the future.





For main point questions, keep your focus on the overall structure of the passage. While you should be attuned to significant language changes that distort meaning, be careful not to overanalyze essentially inconsequential shifts in language.

Does this help clear things up a bit?

[Reijovem.36]

I eliminated answer choice A because of the term "thrive"

I felt that the term was too strong and therefore unwarranted based on the text... which states:

line 53 "as a viable alternative..."
line 9 "can operate profitably..."

Thrive to me suggests that these farms will become more common and potentially displace large scale farming, in suitable areas..

I realize this one is which answer choice is the least terrible selection.