Reading comp PrepTest 102 · Section 1 · Question 18

Passage

Questions 14-21  .        Even in the midst of its resurgence as a vital  . tradition, many sociologists have viewed Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Social Science


Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Proponents of Pan-Indianism view (intertribal tendencies at powwows will lead to the dissolution of tribes)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Definition of "Pan-Indian" theory: a belief of many sociologists that the intertribal aspects of the revived powwow are an indication that tribal culture is declining (first sentence)
    • "Pan-Indian" theory proponents' view:
      • They argue that growing intertribalism will result in the assimilation of Native Americans into Euroamerican society (second sentence)
    • Cause-and-effect relationship, according to "Pan-Indian" theory proponents:
      • Greater frequency of travel and communication between reservations, greater urbanization, and increasing politicization in response to common grievances cause greater intertribal tendency (third sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "resurgence as a vital tradition" (first sentence)

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • Author's rebuttal (intertribalism is increasing, but so is a revival of tribal traditions)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Author's view:
      • Intertribalism is increasing, as indicated by shared dance styles, outfits, and songs between reservations (first sentence)
      • But tribe-specific rituals are also being revived (second sentence)
      • Pan-Indianism doesn't account for everything taking place in Native American societies (last sentence)
    • Examples of tribe-specific rituals being revived, according to the author:
      • Lakota "Sun Dance," Society of the Kiowa, and the Hethuska Society of the Ponca (third and fourth sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "compelling evidence" (first sentence); "failed to note" (second sentence); "Obviously, a more complex societal shift is taking place" (last sentence)

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Author on mistaken assumption behind Pan-Indian theory (minority society immediately assimilates to majority society)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Author's view:
      • Pan-Indianism is predicated on the theory that, upon contact, minority culture will subordinate itself biologically, linguistically, and culturally, to majority culture (second sentence)
      • Native Americans disagree that this is happening (first sentence)
      • There is no evidence this is happening in Native American cultures (last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "may be critical" (first sentence); "especially given that" (first sentence); "chafe most" (first sentence); "a priori assumption" (second sentence); "there is no evidence" (third sentence)

Paragraph 4

  • Paragraph note
    • Author's concession (intertribalism is a major aspect of Native American culture)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Author's concession:
      • Intertribal activities are a major part of Native American culture (first sentence)
      • It's important to note the intentional distinction that Native Americans make between intertribal and tribal activities (last sentence)
    • Examples of intertribal activities, according to the author:
      • The dances, prayers, and speeches at powwows that are intertribal are consciously distinguished from traditional ones (second and third sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "major facet" (first sentence); "of course, old news" (fourth sentence); "important to note" (last sentence)

Paragraph 5

  • Paragraph note
    • Author's reconciliation (tribalism and intertribalism serve complementary functions)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Author's reconciliation:
      • Tribalism and intertribalism are complementary, as tribalism reinforces tribal identity while intertribalism reinforces Native American identity across a pan-tribal front where it is threatened by majority culture (first and second sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "greatly altered" (first sentence); "remains a potent force" (first sentence); "basis for tribal identity" (first sentence); "reinforce native American identity along a broader front" (last sentence)

Main Point: Far from losing their tribal identity to Pan-Indianism, Native American cultures are experiencing a rise of tribalism, which strengthens tribal identity, and intertribalism, a complementary force that builds cross-tribe solidarity against outside influences.

Key Lines?

Paragraph 1, Sentence 2 (P1, S2) - Pan-Indian theory introduced

P2, S2 - Author's rebuttal to Pan-Indian theory

P4, S1 - Intertribalism is a major force

P5, S1-2 - Reconciliation of tribalism and intertribalism

Meta-Structure?

Resolving a Debate: This passage tows the line between a Resolving a Debate and a Correcting the Record passage.* You could go with either, and your understanding of the passage would be solid. However, because the author's act of reconciliation was so apparent in how the author resolves the differences between tribalism and intertribalism in the last paragraph, we felt that Resolving a Debate was the best fit for this passage.

This passage presents two competing trends among the Native Americans: the rise of intertribal activities (and the accompanying belief among "Pan-Indian" theorists who think this portends the end of tribes) and the revitalization of tribal traditions (among Native Americans who chafe at the "Pan-Indian" theory). The author ultimately resolves this "debate," arguing that intertribalism and tribalism serve complementary roles in Native American culture. This reconciliation ultimately rebuts the fears of "Pan-Indian" theorists (which is why some people will see this as a Correcting the Record passage).

In a Resolving a Debate passage, the main point is generally the author's opinion on the debate. Often, the author summarizes their opinion in one or two sentences. Here, the author provides this summary in the last paragraph, so we can use that to assess the Main Point answer choices. But just to make sure our bases are covered, we also anticipated a version of the main point that incorporates the author's rebuttal of the "Pan-Indian" theory.

*You could also call this a Criticizing a Viewpoint, Rebutting Critics or even a Old Approach/New Approach passage instead of a Correcting the Record passage.

Last Thoughts?

This passage is heavy on the author’s attitude and relatively light on the minor Meta-Structures. Therefore, we should expect more Major Point, Tone, and Argument Structure questions than usual and fewer Minor Point and Application questions than usual.

Question prompt

Which one of the Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: E

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Question Type

Social Science

Strategy Overview

Review the main point, and use notes or highlighted/underlined text in the passage to recall the author's attitude on this topic, and find the answer that best reflects your understanding of the main point/author's attitude.

Answer Anticipation

For Author's Attitude questions, the answer choices tend to fall into one of two categories: two-word answer choices or opinion + detail answer choices. The former generally capture only the direction (positive/negative/neutral) and strength of the author's opinion. The latter generally capture the direction and strength in one word, then fills in some details in the passage. This one falls into the latter camp.In this case, the question asks about the author's attitude on the theory of Pan-Indianism. That's a very broad topic in this passage. Now, we could go back to the passage to review all of the author's stated opinions. However, this approach would require us to re-read and review a lot of the passage. That's an inefficient use of our limited time, so it's not the approach we recommend. Instead, we'll recall the author's main point, as well as the corollary points the author makes. Then, let's work our way through the answer choices, tabling any that don't align with the author's views and examining any answer choice that conforms to those views.In case we need reminding, the author's main point is staunchly against the Pan-Indian theory. The author doesn't think the theory's prediction is true — the author concludes that intertribalism complements tribalism in strengthening Native American identity (P5, S2). We can also review a few of the author's tonal phrases about the Pan-Indian theory. The author says, "Obviously, a more complex societal shift is taking place than the theory of Pan–Indianism can account for" (P2, S5). The author also claims the theory rests on a mistaken "assumption," and there is "no evidence" that this assumption is true in Native American culture (P3, S2-3).Let's look for an answer choice that aligns with the author's main point and what we reviewed about the author's attitude.

Answer choices

  1. A
    critical of its tendency Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) Is this answer choice consistent with the author's main point or what we reviewed of the author's attitude?

    No. This answer choice certainly says that the author is critical of the theory of Pan-Indianism, but the statement that Pan-Indianism attributes political motives to cultural practices is inaccurate. Nothing in the main point or what we reviewed of the author's tonal words suggests the author holds this belief. Therefore, we can eliminate — or at least table — this answer choice without checking the passage.

    If we had to review the passage to eliminate (A), we'd find only one reference to politics. The author says that Pan-Indian theorists cite tribes' increasing politicization in response to common grievances as evidence of growing intertribalism (P1, S3), but the author isn't critical of this claim.

  2. B
    discomfort at its negative Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) Is this answer choice consistent with the author's main point or what we reviewed of the author's attitude?

    Not quite. Is "discomfort" the right word to describe this author's attitude toward Pan-Indianism? The author is "dubious" or "skeptical" of the theory's predictions and evidence. We might even say the author is "unconvinced" or "unimpressed" by the theory. We could even say the author is "confident" or "certain" that the theory is at least partially wrong. But, "discomfort" suggests the author is uneasy or worried about the theory. An uneasy author probably would use tonal phrases like "Obviously" (P2, S5) and "no evidence" P3, S2-3). For this reason, (B) doesn't describe the author's attitude towards Pan-Indianism.

  3. C
    hopeful about its chances Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    (C) Is this answer choice consistent with the author's main point or what we reviewed of the author's attitude?

    No. We are looking for an answer choice that shows a negative attitude toward Pan-Indianism, and this answer choice uses the word "hopeful." Thus, this answer choice expresses a favorable attitude towards Pan-Indianism, and we know the author does not possess such an attitude.

  4. D
    offended by its claim Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) Is this answer choice consistent with the author's main point or what we reviewed of the author's attitude?

    No. The author certainly says that Pan-Indianism posits that complete assimilation is the fate that awaits Native American tribes (P3 S2), but that doesn't mean the theory says this assimilation is desirable. Because this answer choice mischaracterizes what Pan-Indian theorists believe, it cannot accurately describe the author's attitude toward the theory.

  5. E
    skeptical that it is Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem

    (E) Is this answer choice consistent with the author's main point or what we reviewed of the author's attitude?

    Yes. As we reviewed, the author says, "a more complex societal shift is taking place than the theory of Pan-Indianism can account for" (P2, S5). This answer choice paraphrases that statement, so we can be confident that (E) is correct.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 8%
  2. B 10%
  3. C 5%
  4. D 7%
  5. E Credited 70%

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