PrepTest 149
[lcid:3693] Prep Test 149 LSAT — Reading Comp — S2
Reading comp
Passage
Questions 21-27 . The novelist and social theorist Charlotte Perkins . Gilman, whose writings were widely read and . discussed
Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Social Sciences
Paragraph 1
An activist view of Social Darwinism said that people can direct society's evolution, and one adherent of this view, Gilman, used her writing to promote a view that we have an ethical duty to do so in a way that breaks social norms, especially with respect to gender roles.
Key Lines:
Lines 9-14 - The first variation of Social Darwinism is discussed
Lines 14-20 - The second and more activist variation of Social Darwinism is discussed
Line 21 - Gilman is identified as being in the second camp
Lines 23-29 - The central thesis of that group is identified
Lines 31-38 - Gilman's specific view of this is noted
Lines 41-43 - How this translated to Gilman's work is described
Meta-Structure:
Theory/Specific implementation. The passage discusses an activist Social Darwinist theory and then explains how it was implemented by a specific adherent. This lines up with the Generalization/Application to a specific case argument in LR.
Last Thoughts:
The passage itself falls into a less common camp—one where the Author isn't present. There are no statements of opinion or reflection on the topic—just statements of what Gilman believed, argued for, and worked towards. As such, we should be wary of answers that reflect an active/opinionated Author.
The last paragraph has some unexpected aspects to it that might show up in detail questions For instance, Gilman's advocacy for gender equality might not be expected to line up with a view that gender inequality was necessary in the past, or that there are specifically male and female qualities. Such unexpected views tend to show up in questions since they cut against what we expect!
Paragraph 1
- Paragraph note
- A theory is introduced that has two variations, and a key person is said to be a supporter of one of them
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Theory - Social Darwinism - Survival of the fittest applies to social ideology
- Variation 1 - Completely determined by biology
- Variation 2 - Doesn't need to be competitive; can be directed by humans cooperatively
- Paragraph note
- Implications of the Variation 2 are discussed, and Gilman is aligned with it
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Gilman is in the second camp
- Central thesis - Humans have evolved to the point where they can consciously direct our social evolution
- Gilman - This means we have an ethical responsibility to contribute as best we can to society
- Paragraph note
- How Gilman contributed to society
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Through her writings, Gilman tried to break the molds that constrained people, especially women
- Belief - Gender roles were at one time important for evolution, but they're not anymore
An activist view of Social Darwinism said that people can direct society's evolution, and one adherent of this view, Gilman, used her writing to promote a view that we have an ethical duty to do so in a way that breaks social norms, especially with respect to gender roles.
Key Lines:
Lines 9-14 - The first variation of Social Darwinism is discussed
Lines 14-20 - The second and more activist variation of Social Darwinism is discussed
Line 21 - Gilman is identified as being in the second camp
Lines 23-29 - The central thesis of that group is identified
Lines 31-38 - Gilman's specific view of this is noted
Lines 41-43 - How this translated to Gilman's work is described
Meta-Structure:
Theory/Specific implementation. The passage discusses an activist Social Darwinist theory and then explains how it was implemented by a specific adherent. This lines up with the Generalization/Application to a specific case argument in LR.
Last Thoughts:
The passage itself falls into a less common camp—one where the Author isn't present. There are no statements of opinion or reflection on the topic—just statements of what Gilman believed, argued for, and worked towards. As such, we should be wary of answers that reflect an active/opinionated Author.
The last paragraph has some unexpected aspects to it that might show up in detail questions For instance, Gilman's advocacy for gender equality might not be expected to line up with a view that gender inequality was necessary in the past, or that there are specifically male and female qualities. Such unexpected views tend to show up in questions since they cut against what we expect!
Question prompt
Which one of the
Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right
Credited answer: D
The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.
Question Type
Social Science
Answer choices
-
AGilman's activist social theory, Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice A is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 23-30; Lines 46-49) Gilman did call for the abolition of gender-specific work roles, but this was just one aspect of her work. Additionally, the central doctrine of the activist Social Darwinists was about the possibility of direct social evolution—it wasn't specifically about abolishing gender roles. -
BAlthough Gilman aligned herself Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice B is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 31-33; Lines 53-56) There's no indication that Gilman's views weren't aligned with those of the Social Darwinists in any way. She also called for including what she saw as female qualities in work and hierarchical relationships—not the recognition of these qualities. -
CUnlike most Social Darwinists Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 14-23) Gilman ""identified herself"" with one of the Social Darwinist camps, and there's no indication which was bigger, so we can't say that her beliefs ran counter to what ""most"" Social Darwinists believed. -
DGilman's version of Social Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D matches the stem
Correct. Question Type:
Main Point
Strategy Overview:
Reiterate the main point as we defined it after reading the passage
Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
As with all Main Point questions, we should already have an idea of it in our minds.
This passage introduced a theory that split into two camps, and then it discussed someone who fell into the second camp and their beliefs and work.
Summing up that passage structure, we came up with:
An activist view of Social Darwinism said that people can direct society's evolution, and one adherent of this view, Gilman, used her writing to promote a view that we have an ethical duty to do so in a way that breaks social norms, especially with respect to gender roles.
Let's find an answer stating something similar to that.
Answer Explanation:
(Lines 21-23; Lines 33-38; Lines 41-46) The second paragraph aligns Gilman with the activist Social Darwinists, and she went further to declare it an ethical duty to promote social good. Specifically, the third paragraph notes that her writing ""urged women"" to fight for the end of gender-based work roles and hierarchy. This answer hits all of the key views attributed to Gilman, whom the first sentence identifies as the key person in the passage, so this is the correct answer.
Key Takeaway:
The Author was absent in this passage, largely staying away from opining on the topic and instead simply presenting Gilman's views. That allowed us to get rid of answers that reflected an authorial opinion—mainly, (E). -
EGilman, whose important contributions Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E is not credited
Incorrect. This answer reflects a present Author who is arguing for more recognition of Gilman's work. That's not true of the passage, where Gilman's arguments take center stage but the Author doesn't weigh in on them or her importance.
What this tests
Discussion
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Why is D correct? Why is C incorrect? 4 replies
Started by Ryan-Mahabir