PT16.S4.P2.Q14

PrepTest 16 - Section 4 - Passage 2 - Question 14

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P1

The United States Supreme Court has not always resolved legal issues of concern to Native Americans in a manner that has pleased the Indian nations. ████ ██ ███ █████████ █████████ ████ ████ ███ ████████ ██ █████████ ██████████ ████ ██████ ████ ██ ███ ██████ ██ ███ █████ ████ ██ ████████ ██████████ ██ ████ ███ █████████████ ██ ████ ██ ███ ████████ ██████ ██ ███ ██████ ███████ ███ ████████ █████████ ████ ██ ████████ ████ ████ ████ ██ █████

Issue at hand · SCOTUS decisions concerning Native Americans have been controversial
P2

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Author's position · Judgments have generally been (somewhat) beneficial for Native Americans
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Signposting · Two examples will support the author's position against critics
P3

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First example · Judicial doctrines generally favour Native American rights
P4

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Second example · Federalism is used to protect tribes from state encroachment
Passage Style
Single position
Show answer
14.

The author’s primary purpose is ██

a

contrast opposing views

Although the author mentions some opposing views, contrasting those views isn't the purpose of the passage. The critics who disagree with the author are briefly acknowledged, but then the author proceeds with an argument that stands independently of the critics.

2%
b

reevaluate traditional beliefs

The passage doesn't refer to any traditional beliefs in need of reevaluation. The only beliefs that are mentioned, other than the author's own beliefs, are those of certain critics. But we have no idea if the critics' views align with tradition or not.

7%
c

reconcile divergent opinions

The author discusses some divergent opinions, but there's no attempt to reconcile these opinions with the author's own views. The author tries to show that the critics are incorrect, not explain how their opinions are compatible with the author's.

6%
d

assess the claims ████ ██ ██████████

(D) is incorrect for the same reason as (A): although the author briefly mentions some disputants, assessing their claims isn't the purpose of the passage. Instead, the purpose is to advance the author's own views, regardless of what the critics think.

11%
e

provide evidence to ███████ █ ██████████

Early in the passage, the author sets out a contention: that the US judicial system has overall been reasonably beneficial to Native Americans. The rest of the passage is dedicated to supporting this contention with evidence. The purpose of the passage is to make an argument, i.e. to support a conclusion using evidence.

75%

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