- Fri May 10, 2024 9:08 pm
#106406
Hi valentina,
When answering Reading Comp questions, especially Main Point questions, it is critical that you prephrase. Prephrasing is simply taking a few seconds to come up with your own answer before looking at the answer choices. This will help prevent you from being tempted by wrong answer choices.
In constructing a prephrase for the main point of the passage, it can be helpful to start with a simple question, "What is this passage about?" This passage is about Robin D.G. Kelley's book "Hammer and Hoe." The book is mentioned right in the first sentence, and Kelley's views (as they appear in this book) are discussed throughout the passage. I mention this as a starting point because our answer should mention "Hammer and Hoe" or, at very least, mention Kelley.
Second, what key point about the book does the passage convey?
The passage mentions that, unlike most scholarship of the Communist Party in the 1930s and 1940s, Kelley focused on a different aspect of research, namely the effect of the Communist Party on African American organizing. In other words, Kelley had a new "take" or new insights into this research.
Third, what is the author's tone/viewpoint toward Kelley and his book "Hammer and Hoe?"
The author's tone is positive, but this can be difficult to pick up on without context. For example, the author of the passage doesn't overtly praise Kelley throughout the passage. The only clearly positive word I noticed was the author's description of Kelley's "rounded" portrait of decline (lines 53-54). "Rounded" (as in "well rounded") means "well developed in all aspects; complete and balanced."
The context of the passage itself suggests that the author is in general agreement with Kelley regarding his views on Communism in the 1930s and 1940s and African Americans. The author certainly never criticizes nor expresses any disagreement with Kelley.
The reason that identifying the author's tone is so important is that it helps to eliminate answers that don't match the author's tone. For example, Answer A talks about "Hammer and Hoe" failing to fully explicate .... Just understanding that this answer has a negative tone toward "Hammer and Hoe" is enough to rule it out.
Answer E best matches the ideas discussed for our prephrase, that "Hammer and Hoe" offers new insights on this topic. It is also positive in tone, as new insights are generally viewed positively.
As for Answer D, this answer appears to be capturing a view of Kelley's expressed at the end of the first paragraph. Kelley measures communism "not by its abstract tenets but by its ability to interact with a culture to generate bold class organization" (lines 8-10). This is Kelley's view, but is not the main point of the passage. This answer doesn't even mention Kelley or his book "Hammer and Hoe," which is central to the passage's main point, as discussed above.
