P1. Introduction to Taylor’s analysis of multiculturalism; “politics of recognition”
P2. Taylor: classical liberalism’s two demands for equal recognition; multiculturalism rejects these (recognizes differences instead)
P3. Multiculturalism seems anti-liberal by recognizing difference; Taylor: “recognition” also depends on differences, but safeguard rights
P4. Extreme multiculturalism too narrow; Auth: Taylor’s “recognition” model insufficient to explain minority groups’ goals
P5. Author’s criticism of Taylor: groups, desires are more than just recognition, gives example (Québécois)
Goal: To critique Charles Taylor’s analysis of multiculturalism and its focus on recognizing diversity
This is a Detail question looking for the mistakes that extreme multiculturalism makes. According to our Passage Outline, extreme multiculturalism is discussed in paragraph 4. The author states that extreme multiculturalists commit the crucial error of reducing all...standards to mere instruments of power... and in doing so make moral justifications absurd. We can make a prediction that the extreme form eliminates moral arguments. (B) best matches this prediction. (A) describes a mistake some minority groups make, as described in the beginning of the fifth paragraph, but doesn’t refer to extreme multiculturalism. (C) could potentially describe Taylor, given the author’s claim that Taylor does not stray far from classical liberalism. Still, this choice does not describe extreme multiculturalists. Finally, (D) is an Opposite—indeed, the author argues that moral arguments are lost in extreme multiculturalism.
This is another Detail question, so we will need to use our Passage Outline to guide us where to go. The Label for paragraph 3 indicates that multiculturalism differs from liberalism by recognizing differences—so what does liberalism recognize? As noted in the first sentence of this paragraph, the liberal ideal that is betrayed is equality. (B) matches cleanly with this prediction. (A) Distorts the author’s argument and makes it Extreme. Although liberalism does not concentrate on minority groups to the same extent as multiculturalism, there is no evidence that suggests that is has no concern at all for minority groups. (C) is the justification Taylor gives for multiculturalism, not the reason why multiculturalism betrays liberal ideals. Finally, (D) is an Opposite as Taylor insists that multiculturalism offer[s] adequate safeguards for fundamental rights.
Question 3 is a Scattered Function question because we are asked to interpret the author’s motives for including a particular example. The example of Québec is mentioned in paragraphs 3 and 5, so we will need to analyze the content in which it is mentioned. In paragraph 3, the author notes that the “distinct society” of Québec sought special treatment, so Statement III is true. We can eliminate (A) and (C) because they don’t have III. The Québécois are mentioned again in paragraph 5 as an example of where Taylor’s analysis is inadequate, matching what is said in Statement II. (D) is the only answer choice that has both II and III, and thus must be the correct answer. Statement I is also true because the Québécois are mentioned as an example of one society’s multiculturalist calls for recognition.
This is an Inference question as it directly asks what can be inferred from the passage. According to our Passage Outline, liberal ideals were discussed in paragraphs 2 and 3. The author states that Taylor acknowledged the deviation from liberal ideals and that Taylor’s justification is plausibl[e]. According to Taylor, concentrating on sameness—the focus of liberalism—fail[s] to recognize much that is necessary for real “recognition.” The liberal ideals fail to fully recognize the individual, which makes (A) incorrect and finds a match in (D). (B) is a Distorted version of the concern some may have about multiculturalism’s rejection of equality and does not describe the author’s attitude toward the liberal ideals. Finally, (C) is Out of Scope because the topic of privileged groups maintaining power over others is never discussed. The dominant group was briefly mentioned in paragraph 5, but not in the context of maintaining power.
This is another Inference question in which we need to identify the author’s feelings toward Taylor’s model. We can use the Goal in our Passage Outline to make a preliminary prediction: because the author is critiquing Taylor’s ideas, the author believes there are some flaws. More specifically, the author introduces Taylor’s historical account as deft, but claims that his analysis…[is] fundamentally incomplete. (B) is the best match for this prediction. (A) and (C) are subtle wrong answers. For the former, the author certainly does believe that Taylor’s ideas are flawed, and the language does not suggest admiration. For the latter, while the author describes Taylor’s historical account as deft, he or she has a different opinion about the model itself—it is incomplete. Finally, (D) is a Distortion as it is Extreme: while the author views Taylor’s model as incomplete, he or she does not believe that it is an absolute failure.
P1. Introduces Gay’s re-examination of Victorian bourgeois attitudes; will focus on birth control
P2. Describes dangers to women and their babies; Victorian women: “childbirth = ultimate fulfillment”
P3. Doctors exacerbated the misinformation that women received, but recognized some issues with constant cycle of birth
P4. Discussion of birth control remained hidden in Victorian society—women had to fulfill their roles (until women’s movement)
Goal: To examine Peter Gay’s study on Victorian bourgeois views on birth control
This is a Scattered Detail question asking for what is not stated as a reason women did not use birth control. We will need to use the process of elimination along with our Passage Outline to eliminate the answers discussed in the passage. Starting with (A), the medical profession’s attitude about birth control is mentioned in paragraph 3. Doctors did not provide even vague advice for limiting family size, but rather promulgat[ed] myths and rumors about the dangers of attempting to limit family size. Thus, (A) is the correct answer. (B) is mentioned at the end of paragraph 4. (C) is mentioned in detail in paragraph 2 and briefly mentioned again in paragraph 4. (D) is discussed in paragraph 3 and again at the beginning of paragraph 4.
This is a Strengthen–Weaken (Beyond the Passage) question focusing on what would weaken the author’s argument. The author argues that deeply engrained social attitudes were responsible for the lack of open discussion of birth control. We will need to consider what the social attitudes were at the time, as the right answer will contradict them. The author stated that women believed that producing offspring was a woman’s ultimate fulfillment and that a widespread effort to limit family size was not firmly rooted in society. A prediction for the answer would likely be something that implies that women felt that they had a different role or wanted to limit the size of the family. (C) best matches this prediction. (A) is consistent with Gay, reflecting on the idea that Victorian women believed that producing offspring was a woman’s ultimate fulfillment, and does not significantly weaken Gay’s argument. (B) would strengthen the author’s argument, as it gives an additional reason why women would not aim to limit family size—and would likely not discuss birth control openly, by extension. Finally, (D) would also strengthen the author’s argument because it removes one of the alternative explanations why birth control was not discussed—if doctors actually knew that limiting family size was beneficial, and yet still did not discuss it openly, then it increases the likelihood that prevailing social attitudes limited discussions of birth control.
Because the question asks what the passage suggests, this is an Inference question; the Roman numeral answer choices make it a Scattered Inference question. We will need to evaluate the Roman numerals one by one to arrive at the answer. Starting with Statement I, the process of childbirth and the consequences of it were mentioned in paragraph 2. The author stated that many children…died within five years, so Statement I is true, and we can eliminate (D). For Statement II, the author mentioned in paragraph 3 that additional children increased the financial burden and responsibility of the father. This suggests that the family would need a larger income to support a larger family, so Statement II is also true. When we look at the answer choices, there is only one answer that has both Statements I and II, so (B) is the correct answer. For reference, Statement III is false because while some husbands were concerned about their wives during childbirth, it was not widespread.
This is an Apply question in which we need to use our understanding of the author’s argument to determine what statement would be most consistent with it. The author mentioned the problems associated with childbirth in the second paragraph and the lack of action by medical professionals in paragraph 3. The author then explained that the reason birth control was not discussed was due to the current social mindset in which women were expected to be productive. This argument structure is most consistent with (B). (A) and (D) are Opposites; Gay uses sociohistorical context and reworks prior studies about Victorian bourgeois attitudes—so these statements would be inconsistent with Gay’s argument in the passage. (C) is Out of Scope as Gay does not apply modern theories to earlier critics, but rather re-evaluates information and research on the Victorian bourgeoisie themselves.
This is an Apply question (specifically of the Response subtype) asking us what Gay would be least likely to agree with. Gay’s study was a re-examination of the stereotypical beliefs about Victorian bourgeois attitudes and behaviors with regard to sexuality. We can predict that if Gay found it necessary to re-evaluate the information of the Victorian bourgeois, he must have found the existing studies and opinions to be inaccurate. (B) best matches this prediction. (A) is an Opposite because this is exactly what Gay did—so he would definitely agree with re-examining existing beliefs. (C) and (D) both reflect on the end of the passage, where the author states that widespread attempts to limit family size did not occur until a strong women’s movement made meaningful strides in changing public attitudes and behaviors.
This is another Inference question asking what the author thought was the most important factor contributing to the danger of childbirth in the Victorian era. While the author did not explicitly state which factor he or she thought was the most important, we can look at how the argument was structured for insight. The predominant focus of the passage, which plays a role in paragraphs 2, 3, and 4, is the misinformation from the medical field. This matches closely with (A). (B) is Out of Scope as sanitation was never discussed. (C) is indeed mentioned in the passage but merely as an example of one of the few things doctors recognized was problematic—it is too narrow and restricted of an answer when compared to the author’s overall argument in the passage. Finally, (D) is Extreme; social attitudes certainly encouraged women to procreate, but the word forced is simply too strong.