DAT RC humanities passages, why arguments hide in transition words

Pre-dental students train for science passages all year. They show up to a humanities passage about the history of common law or the philosophy of mind, and the wheels come off. Not because the topic is hard. Because they read it the wrong way.

Humanities passages are arguments. Science passages are explanations. The reading skills are different.

What a humanities passage actually does

A typical humanities passage opens by stating a position. Then it presents evidence for that position. Then it raises an objection. Then it concedes part of the objection. Then it counter-argues. Then it concludes.

That movement is invisible if you only read for facts. It is the entire point of the passage.

The load-bearing words

Transition words are the joints of an argument. Lose track of one and the rest of the passage collapses into noise. The words that matter most:

• However. Yet. Although. Nevertheless. The author is about to push back on what they just said.
• Therefore. Thus. Consequently. Hence. The author is drawing a conclusion. The next sentence is what they actually want you to walk away with.
• Furthermore. Moreover. In addition. The author is stacking evidence. Same direction as the prior sentence.
• For example. To illustrate. Consider. The next sentence is evidence, not argument. Skip lightly if you trust the claim.
• In contrast. On the other hand. Conversely. The author is comparing two positions. You need both.

Why students miss humanities questions

The wrong-answer pattern is consistent. Students who skim a humanities passage attribute the opposing view to the author, because they did not catch the however that flagged it as the opposing view. The right answer agrees with the side after the however. The wrong answer agrees with the side before the however.

Read with a pen circling every transition word and the score on humanities passages climbs immediately.

What to do this week

1. 1
   Pick 3 humanities-style passages from your practice.

   Topics like history, ethics, philosophy, art criticism, social science.
2. 2
   Read each one with a pen.

   Circle every transition word. There are usually 8 to 15 per passage.
3. 3
   After reading, draw the structure.

   Position one is X, evidence A and B. Then however. Position two is Y, evidence C. Then concede partially, then conclude.
4. 4
   Now answer the questions.

   You will find that questions about author attitude and main idea become significantly easier when the structure is mapped.

See our science passages guide for the symmetric strategy on dense scientific material.

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