PrepTest 102, Section 1, Question 17
Even in the midst of its resurgence as(435 more words not shown)
The primary function of the(4 more words not shown)
- Asearch for evidence(10 more words not shown)
- Bdemonstrate the incorrectness(17 more words not shown)
- Cexplain the origin(14 more words not shown)
- Dexamine several assimilationist(12 more words not shown)
- Ecriticize the theory(18 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Paragraph 3 gets underneath the theory: what are these sociologists taking for granted? They assume that minority societies immediately begin giving way in every respect when they encounter a majority society. The writer then says there is no evidence of that happening to Native American groups.
What we’re looking for
So our prediction is straightforward: identify an assumption and challenge its support.
Working the answers
- A
“Corroborate” means support. The paragraph challenges the assumption; it isn't searching for evidence to strengthen it.
- B
Native Americans’ disagreement is mentioned—they object most strongly to being grouped as Pan-Indian (paragraph 3). But that disagreement isn't used as proof that the theory is wrong. It introduces the reason to examine the theory, and the paragraph then criticizes its unsupported assumption. B substitutes a different argument for the one actually made.
- C
An underlying assumption isn't a historical origin. We aren't told how or when the theory developed from earlier theories.
- D
Other assimilationist theories are mentioned, but we don't examine several of them. The paragraph focuses on the Pan-Indian view and the assumption behind it.
- ECorrect
The theory rests on an “a priori assumption,” and the paragraph ends by saying “there is no evidence” that the described process is occurring. That's the unsupported-assumption criticism we predicted. Whether we personally find the criticism persuasive is separate from identifying what the paragraph does.
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