Self-study
P1
When women are persecuted on account of their gender, they are likely to be eligible for asylum. ███████████ ██ ███
Intro topic ·
UN Convention on Refugees and its protection of women seeking asylum
Definition of refugee doesn't explicitly identify persecution based on gender. But women can qualify as refugees based on persecution for being a member of a "particular social group."
Author's perspective ·
History of "social group" category in the definition shows that it was intended to cover women
P2
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Historical context ·
Drafters of UN Convention added "social group" as a catch-all "safety net"
They didn't want someone to be left out of definition of refugee just because they didn't fall into the other categories. "Social group" was left undefined to allow for flexibility.
P3
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Support for coverage of women ·
A UN handbook supports interpreting "social group" as covering women
Many women suffering persecution share a common background and social status, which matches how the handbook describes a social group.
Additional support ·
UNHCR report advised that "social group" protects women
P4
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Elaborate on support ·
The UNHCR report is likely to influence nation's asylum laws
Passage Style
Single position
Spotlight
22.
The author describes the definition ██ ██████ █████ ██ ███ █████ ████████ ██
Question Type
Meaning in context (of word, phrase, or idea)
Structure
The author describes the definition of social group in the handbook as “
a
specific but flexible
The author calls the definition “expansive” — so “specific” doesn’t fit.
b
obscure but substantive
The author didn’t call the definition hard to understand — so “obscure” doesn’t fit.
c
exhaustive and impartial
The author didn’t say the definition identifies every single group that should receive protection under the social group category — so “exhaustive” doesn’t fit.
d
general and adaptable
This best fits “
e
comprehensive and exemplary
The author didn’t say the definition identifies every single group that should receive protection under the social group category — so “comprehensive” doesn’t fit.