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Difficulty: EasyVocabulary in Context

In examining the early development of common law, historians often focus on the rigid formalism of the writ system. A plaintiff could not simply present a grievance to the court; they had to select the exact writ that corresponded to their specific cause of action. If the wrong writ was chosen, the case was immediately dismissed, regardless of the underlying merit of the claim. In this context, the system of writs functioned less as a mechanism for achieving substantive justice and more as an intricate procedural filter. Consequently, many legitimate claims were effectively arrested before any evidence could even be heard by a judge.

Based on the passage, which of the following is the most accurate meaning of the word "arrested" as it is used in the final sentence?

  1. A
    apprehended by law enforcement authorities
  2. B
    formally presented to a judge for review
  3. abruptly halted or prevented from proceedingAnswer
  4. D
    guaranteed a fair and impartial hearing
  5. E
    permanently and conclusively resolved

Answer

abruptly halted or prevented from proceeding
The correct answer accurately reflects the context of the passage. The author states that if a plaintiff chose the wrong writ, their case was 'immediately dismissed' and functioned as a 'procedural filter'. Therefore, when claims are 'arrested before any evidence could even be heard', it means their progression through the legal system has been abruptly halted.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the target word 'arrested' in the final sentence of the passage.
The sentence reads: 'Consequently, many legitimate claims were effectively arrested before any evidence could even be heard by a judge.'
Understanding the immediate syntactic context is required to determine the word's function.
2
Analyze the surrounding context to understand what is happening to the 'legitimate claims'.
The passage explains that cases were 'immediately dismissed' if the wrong writ was chosen.
The surrounding sentences provide the definition for how the system acted as a 'procedural filter'.
3
Synthesize the contextual clues to define the target word.
Since the claims are dismissed before evidence is heard, 'arrested' must mean that the progress of the claims was stopped or blocked.
Words in LSAT Reading Comprehension must be defined strictly by how the author uses them to advance the passage's meaning.

Key Concept

Vocabulary in Context
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Vocabulary in Context

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