Traditionally, members of a community such as a town or neighborhood share a common location and a sense of necessary interdependence that includes, for example, mutual respect and emotional support. βββ ββ ββββββ βββββββββ ββββ ββββ βββββββββββββ βββ βββββββββ ββββ βββββββββββ ββββββ ββββ ββ βββββ ββββ ββββ ββ βββ βββββ ββ ββββββββββββ ββββ βββββ βββββββββββ βββββββ ββ βββββ ββ βββββββ βββ
Problem Β·Trending away from communities of people in the same geographic area
Modern people spend less time interacting in ways that are required for thriving communities. (We don't interact with our neighbors as much.)
Author's support 2 Β·Conference participants are self-selecting; actual communities are not
Actual communities are more likely to have real diversity of age, career, and personal interests.
Passage Style
Critique or debate
Problem-analysis
2.
Based on the passage, the ββββββ βββββ ββ βββββ ββββββ ββ ββββββββ βββββ βββ ββ βββ βββββββββ β ββββββββββ
Question Type
Authorβs perspective
Implied
The author believes communities should exhibit βgenuine diversityβof age, career, and personal interests.β They also should not discriminate along educational and economic lines. And, they should not involve a self-selecting group thatβs drawn together by a shared interest in something.
a
a group of ββββββββ βββ βββββ ββββββββ ββ βββ ββββ βββββββββ βββ βββ ββββ ββββ β βββββββ ββ ββββββββββ βββββββ
This is potentially a community, because thereβs no reason to think the soldiers were able to select their battalion, or that the specific battalion is attracting soldiers who self-selected into it.
2%
b
a group of ββββββββββ ββββββββ βββ ββββββ ββ βββ ββββ ββββββ βββββββββ ββββββββββββ βββ βββ ββββ ββββ βββββββ βββββββββ βββββββββββββ βββββββββββ
This is potentially a community, because thereβs at least some socioeconomic diversity, and thereβs likely to be diversity of career and personal interests among the students. Joining the same campus political organization might suggest self-selection, but this isnβt as clear evidence of self-selection as what we get in (C).
7%
c
a group of βββββββ βββ ββββ ββ β ββββββ ββ βββββββββ βββββββββ βββ βββ ββββ ββ β ββββββββββ ββ βββββββ ββββββ ββββββββ ββ βββββ ββββββββββ
This is least likely to be a community, because the group of doctors is a self-selecting group drawn together by professional interest. Even though you might think some other answers involve groups that probably arenβt communities, either, (C) provides the strongest evidence that the group self-selects based on a shared interest. In addition, thereβs nothing in (C) that suggests thereβs genuine diversity along any of the dimensions the author mentions. No other answer both provides evidence of self-selection and lacks diversity. Thatβs why the author would think (C) is the least likely to be a community.
80%
d
a group of ββββββββ βββ ββββ ββββββββββββββββ ββ βββ ββββ ββββββ ββββ βββ ββββ ββββββββ βββ βββ ββββ ββ β βββββββ ββ ββββββ βββ βββββββββββββ
This is potentially a community because thereβs no reason to think the teachers self-selected to work in the same school because of some shared interest.
7%
e
a group of ββββββββββ βββ ββββββ βββ βββββββ βββ ββββ βββββββββ βββββββββββ βββ βββ βββββββββ β ββββ ββββββ ββ ββββββββ βββ ββββββββ βββββββββ
This is potentially a community because thereβs at least a high degree of economic and cultural diversity.
4%
Difficulty
80% of people who answer get this correct
This is a moderately difficult question.
It is significantly harder than the average question in this passage.
CURVE
Score of students with a 50% chance of getting this right
25%122
138
75%153
Analysis
Authorβs perspective
Authorβs perspective
Stems that ask us to find an answer the author is most likely to agree with.
Stems asking us to infer an idea implied by the claims in the passage (as opposed to identifying an idea that appears explicitly). Similar to most strongly supported questions in LR.
Critique or debate passages contain multiple points of view on a particular subject. Sometimes the author takes sides and participates in the critique or debate, other times the author merely reports the debate.
Passages that present a particular problem and then discuss the implications of that problem. They also often explore one or more solutions to that problem (although they donβt have to).