Reading ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium

PT12 S3 P2 Q8 Explanation

Chinese and Japanese Immigrants

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Reading Comprehension question.

TopicsMain PointSociety

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Passage

In order to explain the socioeconomic achievement, in the face of disadvantages due to racial discrimination, of Chinese and Japanese immigrants to the United States and their descendants, sociologists have typically applied either culturally based or structurally based theories—but never both together. To use an economic metaphor, culturally based explanations assert the the economic metaphor, structural explanations assert the importance of the demand side of the labor market.

In order to understand the socioeconomic mobility of Chinese and Japanese immigrants and their descendants, only an analysis of supply-side and demand-side factors together, in the context of historical events, will suffice. On the cultural or supply side, differences in immigration pattern and family formation resulted in different rates of socioeconomic achievement established by Japanese immigrants, their socioeconomic attainment soon paralleled that of Japanese immigrants and their descendants.

On the structural or demand side, changes in institutional constraints, immigration laws, labor markets, and societal hostility were rooted in the dynamics of capitalist economic development. Early capitalist development generated a demand for low-wage labor that could not be fulfilled. Early Chinese and Japanese immigration was a response to this demand. In expanding primary labor market in the advanced capitalist economy that existed after the Second World War.

What this question is testing

Main Point

Your task

Capture the passage's overall primary point — the claim everything else supports.

Common trap

Answers that are true but too narrow (a single paragraph) or too broad (beyond the passage's scope).

Winning move

Summarize the whole passage in one sentence first, then match it to a choice.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question
8.

Which one of the following best expresses the main idea of

Answer choices

  1. Wrong Solution13% picked this

    The socioeconomic achievement of Chinese and Japanese immigrants and their descendants is best explained by a historical examination of the economic structures prevalent in

    This starts off pretty good, but it should end, "best explained by an analysis that incorporates both cultural and structural factors". Instead, this answer ends by focusing only on structural stuff.

  2. Wrong Solution2% picked this

    The socioeconomic achievement of Chinese and Japanese immigrants and their descendants is best explained by an examination of their cultural backgrounds, in

    This starts off pretty good, but it should end, "best explained by an analysis that incorporates both cultural and structural factors". Instead, this answer ends by focusing only on cultural stuff. It's basically the exact same problem as (A). The author is recommending both cultural and structural. (A) and (B) each acted like the author was recommending only structural or only cultural.

  3. Lacks Any Recommendation Too Neutral4% picked this

    The socioeconomic achievement of Chinese and Japanese immigrants and their descendants has taken place in the context of a culturally based emphasis on the

    The details of this answer aren't even that well supported, since this makes it sound like our topic is usually studied for its cultural factors. But the passage said it's studied for cultural or structural, just not both. And the main point should sound like, "We should study it with an emphasis on both factors". This answer doesn't have any recommendation at all.

  4. Wrong Solution3% picked this

    Only the market structure of the capitalist economy of the United States in which supply has historically been regulated by demand can account for

    This is like (A) again, a recommendation that we study our topic based on structural factors. But our author was suggesting we focus on both cultural and structural factors.

  5. Correct78% picked this

    Only an analysis that combines an examination of the culture of Chinese and Japanese immigrant groups and the socioeconomic structure of the host country

    Why this is right

    This is a strong match for our most valuable sentence, the opening of the 2nd paragraph. This answer gives us the author's main recommendation: study both cultural and structural factors. It does sound very strong: "only this type of analysis can adequately explain", but our most valuable sentence justifies that language ("only this type of analysis will suffice").

    Skill tested: Main Point · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

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