PrepTest 127, Section 4, Question 19
Passage A There is no universally accepted definition(474 more words not shown)
Passage A(231 more words not shown)
Passage B(251 more words not shown)
The authors' views regarding the(16 more words not shown)
- AThe author of(27 more words not shown)
- BThe author of(27 more words not shown)
- CThe author of(26 more words not shown)
- DBoth authors would(23 more words not shown)
- EBoth authors consider(16 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
My first thought is that both authors think the Roma should be recognized as a minority. But that's too quick: B explicitly argues for recognition, while A focuses on the difficulty of fitting the Roma into the existing categories. We should distinguish their shared concern from a specific recommendation only one author makes.
Working the answers
- A
The “but not” gets this wrong. B directly objects to giving states the arbitrary ability to deny minority status through citizenship decisions. We cannot exclude B from that criticism.
- B
A clearly treats the Roma as a noteworthy example: after discussing difficulties for numerous groups, it says the lack of definition is particularly problematic for them. So this isn't distinctive to B.
- C
B doesn't classify the Roma as a people rather than a nation. That vocabulary comes from A's discussion; B tests them against the criteria for minority status.
- D
Neither author recommends resolving the issues separately within each country. B's criticism of arbitrary state decisions certainly doesn't establish a preference for that approach.
- ECorrect
The wording is stronger than my initial description, so it needs support from both texts. A singles out the Roma because they lack the homeland, citizenship, or colonial relationship the usual categories assume. B identifies a different mismatch: they satisfy all four empirical criteria, yet a legal citizenship condition can still exclude them. Both treat the Roma as a special classification problem. That doesn't mean no other group has ever faced similar difficulties; neither author needs to establish that they are absolutely unique.
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