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Question 1
B
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
15%
(low)
Question Stats:
80% (02:51) correct
20%
(02:37) wrong
based on 465
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 2
C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
75%
(hard)
Question Stats:
42% (01:15) correct 58%
(01:27) wrong
based on 566
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 3
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
95%
(hard)
Question Stats:
24% (01:49) correct 76%
(01:46) wrong
based on 548
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 4
D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
95%
(hard)
Question Stats:
35% (01:47) correct 65%
(01:40) wrong
based on 506
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 5
D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
75%
(hard)
Question Stats:
35% (01:13) correct 65%
(01:07) wrong
based on 484
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 6
E
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
65%
(hard)
Question Stats:
45% (01:02) correct 55%
(00:51) wrong
based on 473
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Passage A
Research concerning happiness and wealth reveals
a paradox at any one time richer people report higher
levels of happiness than poorer people in the same
society report, and yet over time advanced societies
(5) have not grown happier as they have grown richer.
Apparently, people are comparing their income with
some norm, and that norm must be rising along with
actual income. Two phenomena—habituation and
rivalry—push up the norm.
(10) When our living standards increase, we love it
initially but then we adjust and it makes little difference.
For example, if we ask people with different incomes
what income they consider sufficient, the “required
income” correlates strongly with their actual income
(15) a rise in actual income causes a roughly equivalent
rise in required income. We can also look at reported
happiness over time. Job satisfaction depends little
on the absolute level of wages but rises if wages
rapidly increase.
(20) We do not have the same experience with other
aspects of our lives. We do not foresee how we adjust
to material possessions, so we overinvest in acquiring
them, at the expense of leisure.
Now consider the phenomenon of rivalry. In a
(25) study conducted by Solnick and Hemenway, people
were asked to choose between two options, with all
prices held constant
A. You earn $50,000 a year while everyone else
earns $25,000;
(30) B. You earn $100,000 a year while others
make $200,000.
The majority chose the first. They were happy to
be poorer, provided their relative position improved.
And indeed, how people compare to their “reference
(35) group”—those most like them—is crucial for happiness.
In East Germany, for example, living standards have
soared since 1990, but the level of happiness has
plummeted because people now compare themselves
with West Germans, rather than with people in other
(40) Soviet bloc countries.
Passage B
Does the Solnick and Hemenway study mean that
we care most about one-upmanship? Perhaps out of
our primeval past comes the urge to demonstrate our
superiority in order to help ensure mating prospects,
(45) keeping our genetic lines going. Still programmed like
this, we get unexplainable pleasure from having a
bigger house than our neighbors.
This theory may sound good and is commonly
heard, but it is not the explanation best supported by
(50) the evidence. Rather, the data show that earning more
makes people happier because relative prosperity
makes them feel that they are successful, that they
have created value.
If two people feel equally successful, they will be
(55) equally happy even if their incomes differ greatly.
Of course, people who earn more generally view
themselves as successful. But it is the success—not the
money per se—that provides the happiness. We use
material wealth to show not just that we are
(60) prosperous, but that we are prosperous because
we create value.
What scholars often portray as an ignoble
tendency—wanting to have more than others—
is really evidence of a desire to create value. Wanting
(65) to create value benefits society. It is a bonus that it
also brings happiness.
Research concerning happiness and wealth reveals
a paradox at any one time richer people report higher
levels of happiness than poorer people in the same
society report, and yet over time advanced societies
(5) have not grown happier as they have grown richer.
Apparently, people are comparing their income with
some norm, and that norm must be rising along with
actual income. Two phenomena—habituation and
rivalry—push up the norm.
(10) When our living standards increase, we love it
initially but then we adjust and it makes little difference.
For example, if we ask people with different incomes
what income they consider sufficient, the “required
income” correlates strongly with their actual income
(15) a rise in actual income causes a roughly equivalent
rise in required income. We can also look at reported
happiness over time. Job satisfaction depends little
on the absolute level of wages but rises if wages
rapidly increase.
(20) We do not have the same experience with other
aspects of our lives. We do not foresee how we adjust
to material possessions, so we overinvest in acquiring
them, at the expense of leisure.
Now consider the phenomenon of rivalry. In a
(25) study conducted by Solnick and Hemenway, people
were asked to choose between two options, with all
prices held constant
A. You earn $50,000 a year while everyone else
earns $25,000;
(30) B. You earn $100,000 a year while others
make $200,000.
The majority chose the first. They were happy to
be poorer, provided their relative position improved.
And indeed, how people compare to their “reference
(35) group”—those most like them—is crucial for happiness.
In East Germany, for example, living standards have
soared since 1990, but the level of happiness has
plummeted because people now compare themselves
with West Germans, rather than with people in other
(40) Soviet bloc countries.
Passage B
Does the Solnick and Hemenway study mean that
we care most about one-upmanship? Perhaps out of
our primeval past comes the urge to demonstrate our
superiority in order to help ensure mating prospects,
(45) keeping our genetic lines going. Still programmed like
this, we get unexplainable pleasure from having a
bigger house than our neighbors.
This theory may sound good and is commonly
heard, but it is not the explanation best supported by
(50) the evidence. Rather, the data show that earning more
makes people happier because relative prosperity
makes them feel that they are successful, that they
have created value.
If two people feel equally successful, they will be
(55) equally happy even if their incomes differ greatly.
Of course, people who earn more generally view
themselves as successful. But it is the success—not the
money per se—that provides the happiness. We use
material wealth to show not just that we are
(60) prosperous, but that we are prosperous because
we create value.
What scholars often portray as an ignoble
tendency—wanting to have more than others—
is really evidence of a desire to create value. Wanting
(65) to create value benefits society. It is a bonus that it
also brings happiness.
1. Both passages are primarily concerned with explaining which one of the following?
(A) the human desire to create value
(B) the relationship between income and happiness
(C) the biological basis of people’s attitudes toward wealth
(D) the human propensity to become habituated to wealth
(E) the concept of “required income”
(A) the human desire to create value
(B) the relationship between income and happiness
(C) the biological basis of people’s attitudes toward wealth
(D) the human propensity to become habituated to wealth
(E) the concept of “required income”
2. The author of passage B would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?
(A) The desire to demonstrate that one is wealthier than others is a remnant of human beings’ primeval past.
(B) Very few people would be willing to accept a lower standard of living in return for greater relative wealth.
(C) Being wealthier than other people would not make one happier if one believed that one’s wealth was due merely to luck.
(D) Gradual increases in employees’ wages do not increase their job satisfaction.
(E) The overall level of happiness in a society usually increases as the society becomes wealthier.
(A) The desire to demonstrate that one is wealthier than others is a remnant of human beings’ primeval past.
(B) Very few people would be willing to accept a lower standard of living in return for greater relative wealth.
(C) Being wealthier than other people would not make one happier if one believed that one’s wealth was due merely to luck.
(D) Gradual increases in employees’ wages do not increase their job satisfaction.
(E) The overall level of happiness in a society usually increases as the society becomes wealthier.
3. The author of passage B would be most likely to regard the conclusion that the Solnick and Hemenway study points to the existence of a “phenomenon of rivalry” (line 24) as
(A) ungenerous in its view of human nature and mistaken in its interpretation of the evidence
(B) flattering in its implications about human nature but only weakly supported by the available evidence
(C) plausible in its account of human nature but based largely upon ambiguous evidence
(D) unflattering in its implications about human nature but more or less valid in the conclusions drawn from the evidence
(E) accurate concerning human nature and strongly supported by the evidence
(A) ungenerous in its view of human nature and mistaken in its interpretation of the evidence
(B) flattering in its implications about human nature but only weakly supported by the available evidence
(C) plausible in its account of human nature but based largely upon ambiguous evidence
(D) unflattering in its implications about human nature but more or less valid in the conclusions drawn from the evidence
(E) accurate concerning human nature and strongly supported by the evidence
4. Which one of the following pairs most accurately describes why the authors of passage A and passage B, respectively, mention the study by Solnick and Hemenway?
(A) to present a view that will be argued against to present a view for which additional evidence will be provided
(B) to present a view that will be argued against to provide evidence for one explanation of a phenomenon
(C) to provide evidence for one explanation of a phenomenon to present a view for which additional evidence will be provided
(D) to provide evidence for one explanation of a phenomenon to introduce the main topic to be discussed
(E) to introduce the main topic to be discussed to present a view that will be argued against
(A) to present a view that will be argued against to present a view for which additional evidence will be provided
(B) to present a view that will be argued against to provide evidence for one explanation of a phenomenon
(C) to provide evidence for one explanation of a phenomenon to present a view for which additional evidence will be provided
(D) to provide evidence for one explanation of a phenomenon to introduce the main topic to be discussed
(E) to introduce the main topic to be discussed to present a view that will be argued against
5. Which one of the following pairs of terms would most likely be used by the authors of passage A and passage B, respectively, to describe a person who wants to make more money than his or her neighbors?
(A) insular, cosmopolitan
(B) altruistic, egocentric
(C) happy, miserable
(D) misguided, admirable
(E) lucky, primitive
(A) insular, cosmopolitan
(B) altruistic, egocentric
(C) happy, miserable
(D) misguided, admirable
(E) lucky, primitive
6. In arguing for their respective positions, the author of passage A and the author of passage B both do which one of the following?
(A) explain a phenomenon by pointing to its biological origins
(B) endorse a claim simply because it is widely believed
(C) accept a claim for the sake of argument
(D) attempt to resolve an apparent paradox
(E) assert that their positions are supported by data
(A) explain a phenomenon by pointing to its biological origins
(B) endorse a claim simply because it is widely believed
(C) accept a claim for the sake of argument
(D) attempt to resolve an apparent paradox
(E) assert that their positions are supported by data
RC Butler 2023 - Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.
Passage # 05 Date: 03-Feb-2023
This question is a part of RC Butler 2023. Click here for Details
Passage # 05 Date: 03-Feb-2023
This question is a part of RC Butler 2023. Click here for Details
- Source: LSAT Official PrepTest 70
- Difficulty Level: 700+
Piyushssj
Joined: 25 Sep 2022
Last visit: 12 Feb 2026
Posts: 9
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Given Kudos: 11
Location: India
Schools: Fuqua '27 Johnson '27 Kellog '27 Tepper '27 Anderson '27
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V41
GPA: 2.5
Schools: Fuqua '27 Johnson '27 Kellog '27 Tepper '27 Anderson '27
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V41
Posts: 9
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18 Apr 2023, 21:28
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Please explain Q3.
Why A and not C
Why A and not C
19 Apr 2023, 21:13
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Piyushssj
Explanation
3. The author of passage B would be most likely to regard the conclusion that the Solnick and Hemenway study points to the existence of a “phenomenon of rivalry” (line 24) as
Difficulty Level: 750
Explanation
The question asks about passage B’s point of view about Solnick and Hemenway’s conclusion that people’s happiness depends on their relative position and not necessarily on their income. Passage B explicitly states that the idea that we care most about oneupmanship is not supported by the evidence, so the credited response will state that passage B disagrees with Solnick and Hemenway’s conclusion.
A. Yes. This accurately paraphrases passage B’s discussion in the second and third paragraphs.
B. No. While the author of passage B might agree with the second half of the answer choice, the first half is not supported.
C. No. The author of passage B claims that the conclusion is not supported by the evidence and not that the evidence is ambiguous.
D. No. In the second paragraph, the author of passage B claims that the conclusion is not supported by the evidence.
E. No. In the second paragraph, the author of passage B claims that the conclusion is not supported by the evidence.
Answer: A
Difficulty Level: 750
Explanation
The question asks about passage B’s point of view about Solnick and Hemenway’s conclusion that people’s happiness depends on their relative position and not necessarily on their income. Passage B explicitly states that the idea that we care most about oneupmanship is not supported by the evidence, so the credited response will state that passage B disagrees with Solnick and Hemenway’s conclusion.
A. Yes. This accurately paraphrases passage B’s discussion in the second and third paragraphs.
B. No. While the author of passage B might agree with the second half of the answer choice, the first half is not supported.
C. No. The author of passage B claims that the conclusion is not supported by the evidence and not that the evidence is ambiguous.
D. No. In the second paragraph, the author of passage B claims that the conclusion is not supported by the evidence.
E. No. In the second paragraph, the author of passage B claims that the conclusion is not supported by the evidence.
Answer: A
