Comparative Reading Guide
Two short passages. One relationship. Name it before the questions.
One reading comprehension set is always a pair: two short passages on related topics. About half the questions ask about one passage alone. The other half ask about the relationship between them.
The method is simple: read each passage on its own, then state the relationship in one sentence before you touch the questions.
Two tools go with this guide: the wrong-answer journal and the blind review worksheet.
Examples on this page are original. They are not real LSAT questions.
The relationship types
- Agreement: both passages take the same side, often for different reasons.
- Disagreement: the passages reach opposite conclusions about the same question.
- Proposal and application: the first passage proposes a theory, the second applies it to a new case.
- Question and answer: the first passage raises a puzzle, the second resolves it.
- Same theme, different topic: the passages share a concern but discuss different subjects.
The method
- Read passage A alone. Find its main point. Do not think about passage B yet.
- Read passage B alone. Find its main point the same way.
- State the relationship. Say it in one sentence: "A argues X; B argues the opposite." This sentence answers half the questions.
- Answer single-passage questions first. They are easier and they confirm your reading before the relationship questions.
- Use your sentence for the rest. Relationship questions should match the sentence you wrote. If a choice contradicts it, the choice is wrong.
Worked example
Passage A: "Cities should price street parking by demand. When parking is cheap at peak hours, drivers circle for spots, which clogs streets. Demand pricing ends the circling."
Passage B: "Demand pricing for street parking punishes low-income drivers, who cannot shift their schedules. A city that prices them out of parking has failed its residents."
The relationship
One sentence: A argues demand pricing fixes congestion; B argues it is unfair to low-income drivers.
This is a disagreement about the same policy, on different grounds: efficiency versus fairness. A question like "The authors disagree about whether demand pricing..." is answered by that sentence.
Note what the relationship is not: B does not dispute A’s claim that pricing ends circling. The clash is about whether the policy is good, not about the mechanism.
Question patterns to expect
- "Both passages agree that..." Test each choice against both main points.
- "The author of passage B would most likely respond to passage A by..." Use B’s main point as the lens.
- "The main point of disagreement is..." Your one sentence should match the answer.
- "Which one of the following is mentioned in both passages?" A detail hunt. Skim, do not reread.
Traps
- A choice true of one passage but not the other on an "both agree" question.
- A choice that exaggerates the disagreement into total opposition.
- A choice about a detail neither passage’s main point supports.
Next steps
Practice writing the one-sentence relationship before looking at any question. When the sentence is right, the questions feel easy.
Put it into practice
The free diagnostic scores every question type and shows exactly where you are losing points.