PT121.S2.P1.Q4

PrepTest 121 - Section 2 - Passage 1 - Question 4

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P1

Social scientists have traditionally defined multipolar international systems as consisting of three or more nations, each of roughly equal military and economic strength. ███

Mulitpolar systems · Three or more nations of equal strength
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Characteristics of multipolar · Shifting, temporary alliances promote stability
Small confrontations prevent any one nation from dominating ("hegemony")
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Example of multipolar · Concert of Europe
100 years of peace under miltipolar regime
P2

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Bipolar systems · Only two nations of equal strength
Smaller nations ally with the big two
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Characteristics of bipolar · Frequent, large-scale conflict, one side wins in the end
No third power to balance out conflict and provide stability
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Examples of bipolar · Athens vs Sparta, USA vs USSR
P3

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Author's criticism · A new view is needed
Based on political changes after Cold War, author calls into question the traditional view of multipolar and bipolar systems
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Premise · Multipolar system in present-day Europe threatens stability
Traditional view says multipolar systems should be stable; author gives counterexample of unstable multipolar system
P4

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Premise · Second example of multipolar system undermining stability
Author again counters traditional view of stable multipolar systems using historical example where Europe's multipolar system led to World War I and later World War II
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Premise · Bipolar system improved stability
Historical example of bipolar system that promoted peace and stability. Author's main point becomes clearer: the traditional view is wrong because history shows that multipolar systems can cause instability and bipolar systems can cause stability.
Passage Style
Critique or debate
Show answer
4.

With respect to the Cold ████ ███ ████████ ████████ ███ ████ ██████████ ██ █████████ ██

a

fearful that European ███████████ ███ █████ █████ █ ███████ ███████ ██████

Unsupported. We see here that the author is afraid that the current multipolar system in Europe might threaten stability. She isn’t afraid that European geopolitics might bring about a bipolar system; she thinks that the Cold War actually improved stability.

5%
b

surprised that it ███ ███ ███ ████ █ █████ ███

Unsupported. The traditional view might be surprised that the Cold War didn’t end in a major war, since this view claims that bipolar systems create conflict and instability. But the author argues that the Cold War improved stability; we have no reason to believe that she’s surprised it didn’t end in a major war.

5%
c

convinced that it ████████ ██ █████████ ███████ ██ ██████████ ███████████ █████

Supported. In P4, the author uses the Cold War as an example of a bipolar system that maintained peace. This supports her main point that the traditional view of multipolar and bipolar systems should be reconsidered.

86%
d

regretful that the █████ ████████ █████████ ████ ██ ██████████ █████ ██

Unsupported. The author doesn’t discuss the attitude of European countries toward the Cold War. We don’t know if they were ambivalent about it or if the author finds this regretful. She just uses the Cold War as an example of a bipolar system that improved stability.

2%
e

confident it will ████ ████ █ █████ ██████ ███████ ████ ███████ ██ ████████ █████████████

Unsupported. The author is concerned about the current multipolar system in Europe. But she never says that the Cold War was only a brief hiatus between long periods of multipolarity. Instead, she uses the Cold War as an example of a bipolar system that improved stability.

2%

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