PrepTest 128, Section 1, Question 17

ApplicationDifficulty4 of 5

The questionFull text in your LawHub copy of PrepTest 128

As the twentieth century draws to a close,(461 more words not shown)

The author's use of the(15 more words not shown)

Reading the passage

Read “traditional” literally and it sounds as though these celebrations had a long history. But why put the word in quotation marks?

The sentence contrasts “recent edict” with “age-old custom.” Those words tell us not to accept the appearance of antiquity at face value.

A
We aren't told that an old practice was revived after centuries of neglect.
B
This takes the appearance of historical legitimacy as genuine. The author is drawing attention to the opposite: recent authority being made to look ancient.
C
The celebrations were connected to imperial authority, but that doesn't explain the pointed use of “traditional.” We need the word's specific work in this sentence, not just the ceremony's broader political setting.
D
Correct
Spurious means false or not genuine. The jamborees gave recent colonial rule an appearance of historical legitimacy it hadn't earned through age. That is exactly what the contrast between the recent declaration and supposed age-old custom is exposing.
E
The quotation marks don't tell us that the ceremonies combined elements from two cultures. They question the historical status being claimed for the ceremonies.

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