Highlight the author’s conclusions:
p4:
Marcusians make a major mistake in assuming that the majority of consumers who respond to advertising do not do so autonomously
***
p1 is a lot of background. As terribly fascinating as all this garbage is, none of it supports any of the rest of it. The author is explaining Marcuse’s argument, but hasn’t agreed or disagreed yet.
p2 is also just background. That’s pretty unusual. It’s also a little unclear from how the “Since…” statement is worded whether this is still Marcuse’s argument or if we’re starting to hear from the author. I wouldn’t fault you if highlighted starting from “the implicit promises…” But I might expect you to undo that once you see the next paragraph starts with “Unfortunately…” That tells us the author is about to disagree, so that was Marcuse’s conclusion and not the author’s. I recommend only highlighting author conclusions, although I totally respect you doing it a little differently if practice has told you that works better for you.
p3 brings in the author’s disagreement with Marcuse. Then the author fills in yet more background info about what Marcuse believers believe, setting up the push back they’ll support in the next paragraph. If you highlighted “the distinction between…” that’s okay, although technically we don’t actually see direct support for that. Turns out that’s just framing the argument in the next paragraph.
p4 uses “But” to introduce the author’s main conclusion, which they spend the rest of the paragraph giving support for.
Map the wording of the answers to the reference in the prompt, or to the author’s conclusions:
16. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?
Map the answers to the author’s conclusions.
(A) Advertising has greater social value…
This doesn’t sound like the conclusion we highlighted, and the author didn’t say anything about the “social value” of advertising.
(B) …that difference is obscured in practice…
The conclusion doesn’t include the bit about real and false needs, and the author didn’t compare the “theoretical difference” to the difference “in practice” at all.
(C) Marcusian arguments regarding advertisers’ creation of false needs are mistaken…
This maps almost perfectly to the wording of the conclusion, and it’s the only one that even gets close. “Autonomous decisions”, “genuine fulfillment” and everything else in here was in the last paragraph. A no doubter.
(D) Critics of advertising typically focus on…
Only “some critics of advertising” are mentioned in the passage, so the author is definitely not explaining the typical focus of critics of advertising as a whole group.
(E) …overlooks consumers’ physical and psychological needs.
This one’s okay up to the comma, but then it straight up lies. The passage says “Marcuse supposed that we all have certain real needs, both physical and psychological”. Those needs were misinterpreted maybe, but not overlooked.
(C) is the correct answer.
17. The author states that Marcuse believed that advertisers
Map the answers to the reference in the prompt. The author’s clearest statement about what Marcuse believed about advertisers is in the second paragraph: “Advertising appropriates these needs for its own purposes…thereby creating a false ‘need’”
(A) …on psychological research findings…
Not a chance. There’s no reference to research in the passage.
(B) appeal to people’s real needs in order to create false needs
This is a perfect match for the reference in the passage.
(C) …are restricted…by regulations
This is an accurate detail, but it was part of the author’s argument. It doesn’t match the reference in the passage at all anyway.
(D) exaggerate…
Stop. The author never used this word or any close synonym.
(E) deny that the needs they create in people are less real…
This doesn’t match the reference, and it doesn’t make sense anyway. Marcuse was the one who pitched the real versus false needs thing, so he wouldn’t say they’re all the same level of real.
(B) is the correct answer.
18. The main function of the first paragraph is to?
Map the answers to the reference in the prompt. The first paragraph is background introducing Marcuse and explaining what he thinks.
(A) summarize the political and economic context…
Huh? Where do you see a summary? I don’t see one. Where do you see any political or economic context? That would sound like “given the highly conservative political climate at the time…” or “against the backdrop of falling stock prices…” This is way, way off.
(B) outline the mechanisms by which false needs originate…
Nope. That might be accurate for the next paragraph, but this paragraph only says false needs get created. It doesn’t say how.
(C) evaluate the psychological processes…
Tricky, but no. The paragraph explains that “this process occurs because…” but doesn’t “evaluate” anything. All the judgment happens later.
(D) describe the prevailing views…
Only Marcuse’ views are in the paragraph. The author doesn’t say what the “prevailing” view is.
(E) describe Marcusian views…and indicate their role…
Now we’re talking. This answer stays specific to Marcuse and only re-uses wording we see in the first paragraph.
(E) is the correct answer.
19. Which one of the following is a claim that the author attributes to Marcuse?
Map the answers to the reference in the prompt. There are a few of Marcuse’s claims in the passage, so you might not be sure where to look. But the most direct attribution of a “claim” to Marcuse is right when the author introduces him: “Marcuse, who maintained that modern people succumb to oppression by believing themselves satisfied…”
(A) …advertising helps lead people to think that they are satisfied.
This is a perfect match for the reference in the opening paragraph.
(B) Modern societies differ from earlier societies…
There’s no comparison between modern and earlier societies in the passage.
(C) It is impossible…
Stop. No one ever said anything was “impossible”. Way too strong. This only flies right in the face of Marcuse’s argument, which is based on making this exact distinction.
(D) …to the benefit of totalitarian political systems.
Political systems and whether they benefit never come up in the passage.
(E) …deriving them from secondary needs…
There’s absolutely no distinction in the passage between primary needs and “secondary needs”.
(A) is the correct answer.
20. By the term “forces of persuasion”, the author most probably refers to
Map the answers to the reference in the prompt. You probably don’t even need to re-read, since the right answer will have to include synonyms for both “forces” and “persuasion” (or re-use those exact words).
(A) intentionally dishonest claims…
Nope. No “forces”, no “persuasion”.
(B) innate, instinctual drives…
So “drives” could map to “forces”, but there’s no “persuasion”.
(C) emotional pressures…
“Pressures” also maps to “forces”, but there’s still no “persuasion”.
(D) …practices of social indoctrination…
This gets close on both accounts, but you can’t read “forces” or “persuasion” into this. You can be willfully indoctrinated. And if this wants to be right, “sponsored by the state” would be something more like “mandated” or “enforced” by the state.
(E) manipulative influences…
Boom. This wording maps really nicely to “forces of persuasion”. And of course the details about being “unrecognized” totally align with “instinctive judgments” in the reference.
(E) is the correct answer.
21. Which one of the following sentences would most logically complete the passage?
Map the answers to the author’s conclusions. I’d expect the right answer to echo the author’s main conclusion pretty closely.
(A) …the Marcusian critique does not provide such grounds.
This maps strongly to the main conclusion, so it should definitely survive the first round of elimination.
(B) …their use of these claims for political gain.
This bit doesn’t align with anything the author says. The last paragraph has nothing about politics.
(C) …required to correct the abuses of advertising…
Where does the author say anything is “required”? Where does the author say anything about how to “correct the abuses”? Where is there anything about advertising being abusive? Yah, none of that is in there.
(D) …clearly outweighed by numerous social benefits.
The author never gets into “social benefits”, so they wouldn’t be making a comparison between those benefits and the “detrimental social aspects”.
(E) …mistaken except in its…
The author says Marcuse is mistaken, full stop. There’s no exception getting carved out anywhere.
(A) is the correct answer.
Elliot Hirsen / LSAT coach 
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