Reading comp PrepTest 128 · Section 1 · Question 15

Passage

Questions 14-21  .        As the twentieth century draws to a close, we are  . learning to see the extent Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Social Science


Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Generalization and an Example
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Generalization - Human biases play a large role in the creation of the unified national identities we construct from our cultural pasts
    • Example - Greek civilization had Egyptian/African/Eastern influences, but European scholars stripped that away and focused on European influences

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • A general example, a specific example of it - tradition
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • General example - Using “tradition” to exert imperial power by projecting it into past
    • Specific example - Queen Victoria’s reign in India celebrated with traditional jamborees

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Examples (general and specific) - Colonized fighters
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Native cultures construct idealized image of past to motivate fight for freedom
    • France/Algeria - What was Algeria like before French colonization?

Paragraph 4

  • Paragraph note
    • Modern trend; Paradox; Conclusion
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Trend - Colonized societies are independent, but imperial attitudes remain
    • Paradox - Very aware of influences that cross borders on culture, but “nationalist dogma” persists
    • Cultures include more foreign influences than they exclude

Main Point: While nationalist dogma and imperial tendencies create images of national identities that are monolithic, the reality is that cultures include far more foreign influences than they exclude.

Key Lines?

Lines 1-9 - A generalization/new view of history

Line 9 - An example is introduced

Line 22 - Another example is introduced (with a specific version of it starting in Line 35)

Lines 40-43 - Another set of examples introduced

Lines 53-62 - A paradox

Lines 62-65 - The Author wraps her argument up

Meta-Structure?

Generalization/Examples - The passage begins with a Generalization (Lines 1-9). There, she states that studies have shown us that our biases shape how we view the past, and in particular how we construct national identities. She then hops into an example of how such biases have shaped the way that Greek civilization has been viewed by scholars. At this point, she could have easily shifted to another point, but instead she hops into another example in Paragraph 2, and similar constructions in Paragraph 3, backing up that this passage is meant to show examples backing up a generalization. When this Meta-Structure is present, the Generalization is the main point, and, here, Paragraph 4 clarifies what that generalization is. The Author concludes by stating that biases lead to “nationalist dogma” saying nations are unitary, monolithic, or autonomous, but cultures include more foreign influences than they exclude. Since this generalization is backed up by the examples the Author brings up throughout the passage, it’s the main point.

Resolving a Debate - The Author brings up two ways to view history - that of certain scholars and nationalists, who take a monolithic view of society; and to see the various influences that every culture has. She sides with the latter, which is reflected in our Generalization, above.

Paradox/Resolution - The Author brings up a paradox in Line 57. This paradox is that all nationally defined cultures (e.g., American) have a tendency to view themselves as monolithic, but we’re more aware than ever that this isn’t the case. This paradox very much lines up with the Resolving a Debate Meta-Structure, and the one side of the paradox lines up with the Author’s view that national cultures are an amalgamation of many influences, so this answer reinforces the prior Meta-Structures while also introducing new language we can see in big picture questions (“paradox,” “unexpected,” and other language that reflects this concept).

Last Thoughts?

The general example/specific example pattern in Paragraphs 2 and 3 are pretty interesting, and it would be important to have a view on both the general and specific in order to find information needed for the questions, so you should have notes for both levels in each relevant paragraph.

Question prompt

The passage provides information Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: C

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

Question Type

Social Science

Strategy Overview

Remind ourselves of the main point of the passage, then head to the answers, prioritizing the elimination of those that line up with the main point and our big picture understanding of the passage

Answer Anticipation

For these Bizarro Must be True questions, the correct answer will either be out of scope or be contradicted by information in the passage. For the former, you’ll generally use process of elimination to get rid of each answer that does show up in the passage - this is the norm. For the latter, you’re in luck, as you can find a line cite to back up that answer and thus can feel a lot more comfortable about picking it (while also likely getting it correct faster). But we won’t know if this is the case for the correct answer until after we analyze it, so we should go in expecting to need to use process of elimination.Since there’s no guidance as to the topics that will be raised in the correct or incorrect answers, we need to head straight to the answers. We’ll eliminate those that line up with the main point and we can find textual support for, then select the answer that’s left - unless we can find one that contradicts information in the passage.

Answer choices

  1. A
    What kinds of influences Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) (Lines 6-9) The entire passage was about how people construct these national identities in a way that doesn’t reflect reality, so this answer lines up with the main argument and thus can be eliminated. Specifically, Paragraph 1 states that anxieties and agendas of the present can influence how people construct identities from their past.

  2. B
    Why did nineteenth–century European Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) (Lines 12-17) This answer addresses the first example brought up by the passage and aligns with the Author’s overall view that ignoring such information is relatively common. The passage specifically notes that they did so “to support an image of European cultural dominance,” so this answer can be eliminated.

  3. C
    In what ways did Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem

    (C) (Lines 9-21) This answer addresses the first example brought up by the Author, but it doesn’t align with her main point. She argues that such influences are generally ignored by historians in a dominant culture to project their dominance into the past. African cultural influences on ancient Greece were the very things that the Author claims were omitted from histories written in the 19th century. Looking at the example itself, there’s no mention of specific cultural influences from Africa on Greece, so this is the correct answer.

  4. D
    Why was Queen Victoria Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) (Lines 32-36) This answer addresses a separate example - the one brought up in Paragraph 2. And it aligns with the Author’s overall argument. Checking the passage, we see that she argues Victoria was declared empress of India “to project [her] power backward in time, giving it a legitimacy that only longevity could impart.” This answer choice has a question answered by the passage, so we can eliminate it.

  5. E
    What is one reason Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) (Lines 48-49) The Author discusses revolutionary poets in Paragraph 3, and the reasons for people writing what they do is the central focus of the passage, so there’s almost certainly an answer to this question in the passage. Checking the text, we see that the Author says they do this to “giv[e] their adherents something to revive and admire,” so we can eliminate this answer.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 5%
  2. B 5%
  3. C Credited 77%
  4. D 5%
  5. E 7%

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