Rank 6 by frequency | 148 questions in corpus (6.0% of all questions)
Asks the test-taker to identify the author's (or a discussed figure's) evaluative stance — their tone, opinion, level of approval/disapproval, or degree of certainty toward a topic, theory, or person discussed in the passage. This question type is about how someone feels about something, not what they believe factually.
Author's Attitude has 6 distinct subtypes that vary in directness and specificity:
The dominant phrasing — directly asks about the author's attitude or view toward a named subject. - "Which one of the following most accurately characterizes the author's attitude toward [X]?" - "The author's attitude toward [X] can best be described as..." - "The attitude of the author toward [X] can best be described as one of..." - "Based on the passage, which one of the following most accurately characterizes the author's attitude toward [X]?"
What makes it distinct: The most explicit framing. Names the subject and asks for an evaluative description. Answers are typically adjective phrases or brief characterizations.
Asks about the overall tone or style of the passage rather than attitude toward a specific subject. - "Given the style and tone of each passage, which one of the following is most likely to correctly describe the expected audience?" - "Given the style and tone of each passage, which one of the following is most likely to be true?"
What makes it distinct: The rarest subtype. Asks about tone as a holistic property of the writing rather than attitude toward a specific topic.
Asks how the author responds to or evaluates a specific argument or proposal. - "The author suggests that [person]'s notion is problematic because it..."
What makes it distinct: Framed as an intellectual response rather than an emotional attitude.
Asks how the author views or evaluates something. - "The author would most likely regard [X] as..." - "Which one of the following most accurately characterizes the author's view regarding [X]?"
What makes it distinct: Uses "regard" or "view" — slightly more intellectual than "attitude" but still asking about evaluative stance.
Asks for a description of the author's overall assessment. - "Which one of the following best characterizes the author's assessment of [X]?" - "Which one of the following best describes the opinion of the author regarding [X]?" - "The passage suggests which one of the following most accurately describes the author's view?"
What makes it distinct: Broader than the direct attitude question — may ask about the author's assessment of a complex topic rather than their emotional response to it.
When "would agree" questions focus on evaluative claims, they function as attitude questions. - "Which one of the following aspects of [X] does the author appear to value most highly?" - "The author would be most likely to agree that [X] is..." - "Based on the passage, the author most likely holds which one of the following views about [X]?"
What makes it distinct: Overlaps with Inference. The question is classified as Author's Attitude when the agreement is about an evaluative claim (e.g., "X is valuable," "X is problematic") rather than a factual one.
The question writer scans the passage for evaluative language: - Positive signals: "importantly," "significantly," "admirably," "rightly," "convincingly" - Negative signals: "unfortunately," "problematically," "questionably," "implausibly," "fails to" - Mixed signals: "although," "while [positive], [negative]," "despite," "notwithstanding" - Certainty signals: "clearly," "undoubtedly," "certainly" (strong) vs. "perhaps," "arguably," "it appears" (weak) - Attribution markers: "According to critics" (not the author's view) vs. "The evidence suggests" (the author's view)
The LSAT rarely tests extreme attitudes. Most correct answers are qualified or moderate: - ❌ "enthusiastic endorsement" (too strong unless the passage is effusive) - ✅ "qualified approval" (typical correct answer) - ❌ "outright rejection" (too strong unless the passage is dismissive) - ✅ "cautious skepticism" (typical correct answer)
The spectrum of common correct attitudes: > dismissive → skeptical → cautious → neutral → measured approval → qualified support → strong endorsement
Correct answers typically use one or two adjectives that capture both the direction (positive/negative) and degree (mild/strong) of the attitude: - "cautiously optimistic" - "critical but respectful" - "fundamentally skeptical but not dismissive" - "largely approving but with reservations" - "measured appreciation" - "guarded enthusiasm"
Trap Type 1: Too Extreme The most common trap. If the author is "cautiously skeptical," wrong answers say "deeply hostile" or "entirely dismissive." If the author is "generally supportive," wrong answers say "unconditional enthusiasm."
Trap Type 2: Wrong Direction States the opposite attitude. If the author is mildly critical, a wrong answer says "approving." This catches test-takers who confuse the author's description of a view with the author's endorsement of it.
Average 19.8 words. Often names a specific subject the attitude is directed toward. The stems vary more than Main Point because they must specify the target of the attitude evaluation.
Average 10.0 words — the shortest of all types. Answers are typically adjective phrases or brief characterizations: - "cautiously optimistic" - "critical but respectful" - "fundamentally skeptical" - "largely approving but with reservations" - "interested but unconvinced" - "appreciative acknowledgment tempered by concern"
Key pattern: The correct answer almost always uses qualified language — two-part descriptors that capture nuance. Single-word answers ("hostile," "supportive," "indifferent") are usually wrong because they're too blunt.
Source: PT85, Q3 Directly asks about the author's attitude toward a specific subject. The answer choices are adjective phrases ranging from strongly positive to strongly negative. The correct answer is the moderate, qualified option that matches the author's evaluative signals.
Source: PT1, Q21 > "Based on the passage, the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following?"
When the "would agree" choices are evaluative claims rather than factual ones, this functions as an attitude question. The test-taker must identify which evaluative claim aligns with the author's demonstrated stance.
Source: PT74, Q20 Asks about the style, tone, or attitude differences between two comparative passage authors. Requires detecting subtle tonal differences and matching them to descriptors.
On comparative passages, may ask how the two authors' tones differ, or what attitude each author holds toward a shared subject.