Reading Comprehension

how to write structure of a passage


Passage Structure





Many students, when they first begin working with Reading Comprehension

passages, attempt to remember every single detail of the passage. Given the

limits of human short-term memory, this is an impossible task. Fortunately, it

is also an unnecessary one. Built into your test taking strategy should be the

expectation that you will frequently return to the passage during the questions

to confirm and disconfirm answer choices .





In order to successfully return to the passage, however, you must attempt to

identify the underlying logical structure of the passage as you read. This will

help you quickly find information once you begin to answer the questions.

'For example, some passages open by stating the background of a thesis

that will be challenged later in the passage. In the following paragraphs the

author will present an alternative viewpoint to the thesis and perhaps specific

counterexamples which provide support for the alternative view. Awareness of

this general structure will allow you to reduce the time you spend searching

for information when you need to refer back to the passage.







Fortunately, identifying the logical structure of a passage does not required

any training in logic or in logical terminology. You simply need to be able

to describe in general terms the order in which things are presented in the

passage. This is most often connected to specific paragraphs of a passage,

in, "The first paragraph introduces the jury unanimity requirement, and then

presents the viewpoints of the critics of unanimity* At the start of the second

paragraph, the author takes a strong position that jury unanimity is essential.

The second and third paragraphs support that position-paragraph two states-J

that the costs of hung juries are minimal, and paragraph three states that

unanimous verdicts lead to fairer verdicts." With a brief synopsis such as this 1

one, you could confidently return to the passage as needed. Question about the

critic's position? Most likely the answer will be found in the first paragraph.

Question about verdict fairness? Most likely the answer will be found in the

last paragraph.





Note that your structural analysis is not written down during the exam;

instead, you simply hold the idea mentally. Thus, in a nutshell, your structural

analysis must be compact enough to be mentally retained, and it must also

provide enough basic detail to serve as a guide when you return to the

passage* Also keep in mind that if you need to refresh your memory, you

can glance at your markings on the passage itself for clues



Of course, the Viewpoint Analysis approach we discussed briefly before will

also help you identify and control the structure of the passage. Understanding

the views of the various players in the passage will greatly assist in your

ability to understand the passage as a whole. Identifying the main point and

author's tone will also make this task easier.



Let us try an example using the opening paragraph from an LS AT passage:



The Canadian Auto Workers* (CAW) Legal

Services Plan, designed to give active and retired

autoworkers and their families access to totally

prepaid or partially reimbursed legal services, has

(5) been in operation since late 1985. Plan members have

the option of using either the plan's staff lawyers,

whose services are fully covered by the cost of

membership in the plan, or an outside lawyer. Outside

lawyers, in turn, can either sign up with the plan as a

(10) "cooperating lawyer" and accept the CAW's fee

schedule as payment in full, or they can charge a

higher fee and collect the balance from the cheat.

Autoworkers appear to have embraced the notion of

prepaid legal services: 45 percent of eligible union

(15) members were enrolled in the plan by 1988.

Moreover, the idea of prepaid legal services has been

spreading in Canada. A department store is even

offering a plan to holders of its credit card.







A written analysis of the paragraph would appear as follows:

The paragraph opens by introducing the concept of a pre-paid legal

service plan, and specifically the one used by Canadian Auto Workers

(CAW). There are several important elements that define the plan:

1. Members receive pre-paid or partially reimbursed legal service

2. Plan staff lawyers are fully covered by the plan.

3. Members can use outside lawyers, who may or may not charge

an additional fee.





The analysis above is too much to keep in your head while reading, so you

must distill the essence of the paragraph into a brief description that is easy

to remember*(and of course, you may choose to make some markings on the

passage that will help reinforce certain points you deem notable), such an

analysts would probably consist of:







The prepaid legal service plan for Canadian Auto Workers covers legal

costs for members and has been successful*





Does this description capture every detail of the first paragraph? No, but it does not need to . You simply need to get the gist of what is occurring in this paragraph so you can Quickly return if needed to answer a Question.





Let us examine second paragraph of the same passage



While many plan members seem to be happy to

(20) get reduced-cost legal help, many lawyers are

concerned about the plan's effect on their profession,

especially its impact on prices for legal services.

Some point out that even though most lawyers have

not joined the plan as cooperating lawyers, legal fees

(25) in the cities in which the CAW plan operates have

been depressed, in some cases to an unprofitable

level. The directors of the plan, however, claim that

both clients and lawyers benefit from their

arrangement. For while the clients get ready access to

(30) reduced-price services, lawyers get professional

contact with people who would not otherwise be

using legal services, which helps generate even more

business for their firms. Experience shows, the

directors say, that if people are referred to a firm and

(35) receive excellent service, the firm will get three to

four other referrals who are not plan subscribers and

who would therefore pay the firm's standard rate.





Bypassing a complete written analysis for the moment, our distilled, structural

analysis of this paragraph would be along the lines of:





Lawyers are concerned about the plan's effect on prices; directors of

the plan claim that everyone benefits.





Again, this description misses certain details, but it does indicate that there

are two viewpoints presented in this paragraph, and that those two viewpoints

are opposing. Should a question ask about the views of lawyers, you would

know to return to the first half of this paragraph. Would be the proper starting point.









Let's complete our analysis by reviewing the final paragraph of the passage-





But it is unlikely that increased use of such plans

will result in long-term client satisfaction or in a

(40) substantial increase in profits for law firms. Since

lawyers with established reputations and client bases

can benefit little, if at all, from participation, the

plans function largely as marketing devices for

lawyers who have yet to establish themselves. While

(45) many of these lawyers are no doubt very able and

conscientious, they will tend to have less expertise

and to provide less satisfaction to clients. At the same

time, the downward pressure on fees will mean that

the full-fee referrals that proponents say will come

(50) through plan participation may not make up for a

firm's investment in providing services at low plan

rates. And since lowered fees provide little incentive

for lawyers to devote more than minimal effort to

cases, a "volume discount" approach toward the

(55) practice of law will mean less time devoted to

complex cases and a general lowering of quality for

clients.





Again, we can bypass a complete written analysis, and instead look at the

distilled, structural analysis of this paragraph:



* The author concludes that the plan is unlikely to benefit clients or

lawyers, and then offers reasons why.



'Again, this synopsis misses some details, but that is immaterial. The point is

to understand the general idea of what happened in the passage. You should

also note that the first several lines of this paragraph contain the author's main

point



Putting all three analyses together, the entire structure appears as:



The pre-paid legal service plan for Canadian Auto Workers covers

legal costs for members and has been successful.



Lawyers are concerned about the plans effect on prices; directors of

the plan claim that everyone benefits.





The author concludes that the plan is unlikely to benefit clients or

lawyers, and then offers reasons why. »





'Note that this analysis not only describes the structural elements-viewpoints,

for example-but also provides basic details of each. Compare this to a more

logic-based analysis that eliminates the details of each viewpoint:



Paragraph 1: Introduce one example of a pre-paid legal service plan



Paragraph 2: Present arguments for and against this type of plan



Paragraph 3: Assess these plans as unlikely to be beneficial, listing

several specific reasons for this assertion.





This analysis is factually correct, but for our purposes it would not provide

a very helpful guide when answering the questions. For example, the above

characterization of the second paragraph is perfectly accurate, but as a

mental tool for use in returning to the passage, it would be inadequate. Again

remember the rule of structural analysis stated earlier :



"Your structural analysis must be compact enough to be mentally

retained, and it must also provide enough basic detail to serve as a guide when you return to the passage .