#10 - Concept Reference, Must Be True, Author's Perspective

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=7427)

CR, Must—AP. The correct answer choice is (A)

This question requires an understanding of the author’s perspective, specifically with regard to
UNESCO.

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. The author clearly believes that UNESCO
can help to stop abuses in the artifact trade, as the organization’s participation is a major element in
the author’s suggestion presented in the final paragraph.

Answer choice (B): The author does not deal with how UNESCO first developed its stance on
cultural artifacts, so this choice cannot be confirmed by the information presented in the passage.

Answer choice (C): The author makes no such comparison in the passage, so this choice should be
ruled out of contention.

Answer choice (D): The author does not assert or imply that the organization does not pay enough
attention to the concerns of countries like Mali, so this cannot be the right answer choice.

Answer choice (E): The author does not discuss the adequacy of UNESCO’s funding, so there is no
way to determine whether or not the author would agree with this statement.
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[Leela]

I really dislike the English language sometimes. I wanted to choose A, but I hesitated and didn't choose it, because while I initially interpreted "stemming" correctly based on context, I couldn't remember its exact definition. Since "to stem from" has to do with origination, I convinced myself that "stemming" couldn't mean a reduction of something, but rather was origins. This gave A the opposite meaning so I chose a less than satisfying other answer choice.

[LakeShow]

I chose B for this one because I read the passage the same as your passage discussion describes the second paragraph:

In response to the looting in Mali, a protective doctrine, known as the UNESCO Doctrine, has
developed around the issue of cultural property ownership.

In rereading the passage to better understand why B might be wrong (A being correct makes sense as the next best choice), the second paragraph actually does not sound like the UNESCO doctrine or any of their regulations were a response to Mali's losses. Lines 33-35 do hint as this so I think a case for B can still be made. However, [1] the question stem here mentions UNESCO as a whole, not specifically it's regulations or doctrine, and [2] lines 33-35 are just about some regulations, not UNESCO's stance on cultural artifacts, so I do see how A is overall the better answer. Very tricky!

-Mark

[Malila Robinson]

Hi Leela,
Stemming does have at least 2 very specific and opposite definitions. Technically to use the origination definition you would probably need to say "stemming from," but I can see how it is easy to confuse the 2 definitions for this question, and choosing the origination definition would take you away from Answer A.
-Malila

[AJScott2022]

Hello,

I understand why Answer Choice A is correct. But I’m having difficulty ruling out Answer Choice E. When I read this question, I chose E because this choice referenced “inadequate funding”, and I connected that term to the first paragraph, where the passage mentions that Mali could not enforce it’s anti export laws or fund it’s own archeological excavations. So the idea of the UNESCO doctrine’s effectiveness being hampered by inadequate funding within the countries themselves made sense to me. Also, I interpreted the answer choice as referring to inadequate funding more broadly (possibly funding limitations within the countries), and not limited to funding shortfalls within UNESCO. Can you help me understand where I made my mistake(s), and how I could have properly ruled this question out? Thank you!

[Dana D]

Hey AJ,

The question is asking how the author feels about UNESCO, but you are conflating the organization itself with how Mali was able to implement or enforce certain doctrines from UNESCO. We don't actually know about the funding for UNESCO itself or how that impacts the effectiveness of the organization. When we're answering questions about what the author would think, there will be evidence in the passage to support the correct answer choice. We want to avoid making a lot of assumptions or creating possible connections that aren't directly supported by the passage.

Hope that helps!

[AJScott2022]

Yes, that’s helpful. Thank you!