Reading ComprehensionDifficulty: Easy

PT157 S1 P1 Q4 ExplanationCivil Rights Movement

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

TopicsLocal PurposeSociety

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Passage

The late 1950s and early 1960s were a time of profound growth for the civil rights movement in the United States. Although racial segregation in the public schools had been outlawed in 1954, the ruling applied only to this one category of discriminatory practice in U.S. society. But it furthered within the ones, and generated support for the civil rights movement among many new segments of the populace.

Initiated by four students of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, the first sit-in occurred at a lunch counter in February 1960. Sit-ins then spread rapidly through the southern U.S., involving over 70,000 participants by August 1961. The sit-ins provided an important model for nonviolent protest and showed students that they Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and the birth of a second form of sit-ins called Freedom Rides.

The formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee followed the first sit-in by just a few months and not only solidified student involvement in the civil rights movement but also placed students in leadership roles for the first time. It operated independently of other civil rights organizations and relied on strong local their elders alike, examples of the methods they might use to achieve a more equal society.

What this question is testing

Local Purpose

Goal

Find "outgrowth of sit-ins." SNCC is there to show what the sit-ins produced, not to be the star of the show.

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The question
4.

The discussion of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the third paragraph is

Answer choices, explained

  1. Too Strong2% picked this

    argue for the preeminence of a particular U.S. civil

    The passage does not argue for SNCC's preeminence over other organizations. It presents SNCC as one outgrowth of the sit-ins, with the Freedom Rides given greater emphasis.

  2. Unsupported2% picked this

    serve as a contrast to discussion of the efforts of student

    The SNCC discussion is not a contrast to sit-in demonstrators. It is presented as an outgrowth of the sit-ins, building on their efforts rather than differing from them.

  3. Wrong Emphasis11% picked this

    summarize the historical background against which the Freedom

    SNCC is not presented as background for the Freedom Rides. Both are parallel outgrowths of the sit-ins, with the Freedom Rides given separate treatment as the more significant development.

  4. Correct85% picked this

    describe an important outgrowth of the student

    Why this is right

    The passage introduces SNCC as one of two developments showing the sit-ins' influence. It is an important outgrowth of the student sit-in demonstrations.

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

  5. Unsupported1% picked this

    explain why local sit-in demonstrations require nationally

    The passage does not discuss whether local sit-ins need national coordination. SNCC is presented as an outgrowth of the sit-ins, not as evidence that local efforts require national structures.

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