Q12

[cyruswhittaker]

Can you please explain this question? I know that further into the paragraph the author goes into detail about the impracticality, but I don't see how this phrase itself suggests that.

[bbirdwell]

It's important when answering detail questions to take into consideration the structure of the paragraph, and the passage as whole.

In general terms, why does the author say this? To distinguish the scientists from the humanists. What are the scientists? Practical. What, by implication of the whole "this vs that" structure of the passage, are the humanists? Not practical.

Detail questions almost universally require one to examine the sentences previous to or following the line reference given in the question. If you only look at the line reference itself, you will likely be led into a trap, like (A), which is clearly not an "LSAT" answer.

Besides the fact that the word "wildly" is not supported at all, the passage does not say that the humanists ARE emotional, but that they are "interested in emotion." Big difference.

(C), (D), and (E) are nowhere close. Thus, by utilizing a disciplined process of elimination, the correct answer rises to the top.

[shirando21]

great tips. I also found it is important to read L29-30 in order to solve this problem. When you see how scientists claim humanists to be useless, no immediate and technological function for the practical survival, you can easily find B to be the correct answer.

I was only looking at L27-28 and was trapped to choose A...

Now I've learned.

[asafezrati]

It's important when answering detail questions to take into consideration the structure of the paragraph, and the passage as whole.

In general terms, why does the author say this? To distinguish the scientists from the humanists. What are the scientists? Practical. What, by implication of the whole "this vs that" structure of the passage, are the humanists? Not practical.

Detail questions almost universally require one to examine the sentences previous to or following the line reference given in the question. If you only look at the line reference itself, you will likely be led into a trap, like (A), which is clearly not an "LSAT" answer.

Besides the fact that the word "wildly" is not supported at all, the passage does not say that the humanists ARE emotional, but that they are "interested in emotion." Big difference.

(C), (D), and (E) are nowhere close. Thus, by utilizing a disciplined process of elimination, the correct answer rises to the top.

I don't see all of that.

The role of paragraph 3 is to present some scientists' common views of their humanist buddies, and that these views are somewhat extreme and/or unhelpful.

So lines 25-28 contain what some people (in this case, scientists) think about humanists.

Yes, C isn't supported, D is far away from what these scientists think, and logical consistency is also quite far away.
I can see the problems with "wildly", but I don't understand how I should realize the author refers to the
"impracticality" mentioned in the next sentence rather than to the "emotional" in the previous one.

[ohthatpatrick]

Nice coverage of C/D/E.

You said:
"I don't understand how I should realize the author refers to the
"impracticality" mentioned in the next sentence rather than to the "emotional" in the previous one."

Foul ball --- the author DOESN'T say "emotional" in the previous one. The author says that humanists are "INTERESTED in nothing more than emotion and sentiment".

I could be very interested in violent sports. That doesn't make me violent or athletic.

Many neuroscientists are undoubtedly INTERESTED in emotion as well, but they may conduct their inquiry using facts/observations/data, rather than "the vagrant fancies of an undisciplined mind".

"Vagrant fancies" and "undisciplined mind" conjures the notion of 'ambling, unfocused, distracted, unorganized' thinking. That's really not a good proxy for "emotional".

Someone wildly emotional might be VERY focused, such as an obsessed lover or an aggrieved fired employee.

Finally, you could lean towards impractical given that you get TWO reference to it ...
line 30 says that humanists serve no function for "practical" survival
and line 32 identifies the enemy of the humanist as "the pragmatist". (Pragmatism is the opposite of idealism.)

Hope this helps.

[pewals13]

I think the structure lines 27-28 sentence if read carefully, gives up (A).

"Some scientists, on the other hand, claim that the humanist is interested in nothing more than emotion and sentiment, exhibiting the vagrant fancies of an undisciplined mind." L

At no point does the author suggest that humanists are emotional, only that they are interested in emotion and sentiment--two topics viewed by scientists as impractical (this is stated in the next sentence).

"To such men and women (referring back to scientists) the humanities are useless because they serve no immediate and technological function..." Lines 28-30