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More Solitary Passages Questions - - Question 3

Which one of the following best describes the relationship of the second paragraph to the passage as a whole?

Julie-V August 11, 2019

(B) vs. (C)

Hi LSAT Max, This passage clearly got the best of me. I chose (C) because there are pros and cons listed for the two kinds of pumps being redesigned (lines 33-38 for one and 44-47 for the other). Is that not what's happening in the second paragraph? Any clarifications on where I went wrong with this question would be greatly appreciated!

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Irina August 11, 2019

@Julie,

While it is true that the second paragraph describes in detail pros and cons of each of the two pump designs, this discussion is not related to any specific claim in the first paragraph. It merely provides further technical details for more general information/ facts regarding pumps that could be used to move crude oil. (C) would make sense if the second paragraph presented pros and cons of eliminating offshore drilling platforms, for example.

Does this help?

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Julie-V August 12, 2019

It does make more sense, especially since I overlooked that the question is asking to compare paragraph 2 to the whole passage. Thank you for your help!

xDaltonLaney October 9, 2019

I feel like it does detail on a specific claim in the first paragraph. For example lines 8-12

shunhe January 10, 2020

Hi @xDaltonLaney,

Thanks for pointing that out. With regards to this claim, we could certainly say it’s detailing the lines you pointed out—that researchers are attempting to diminish the need for human labor on platforms and even to eliminate platforms altogether by redesigning two kinds of pumps to handle crude. It doesn’t, however, present the pros and cons of this claim. It talks about the pros and cons of the different types of pipes, but not the pros and cons of the claim “researchers are attempting to diminish the need for human labor on platforms…by redesigning two kinds of pumps to handle crude.” That kind of discussion would involve maybe discussion of the cost for the research or the number of lives the pipes might save. Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any other questions you might have.

jacklyn-henry October 26, 2020

How many paragraphs should this passage be? I don't think the second paragraph is properly indented.

hassay18 December 8 at 02:45AM

It is. The second passage starts where it says "Of the two pumps being designed".