#13 - Must Be True, Purpose

[kristinaroz93]

For Passage number 7 of December 1994 LSAT questions 9-13, I have a questionr regarding problem 13.
It says the correct answer is that the primary purpose of the passage is to present and evaluate an interpretation, answer choice D. However, I do not get why A is wrong (summarize previous interpretations).
Thanks in advance!

[Adam Tyson]

I think the key to eliminating answer A here is to realize that the "previous interpretations" means interpretations prior to the one the author is discussing, the one presented in Myne Owne Ground. The author does briefly mention those previous interpretations in the first paragraph of the passage - really just in the first sentence, where she says that the focus has for too long been on the detrimental impacts of slavery - but that's it. The passage is primarily concerned from that point forward of presenting and evaluating the interpretations found in the work of Breen and Innes.

Don't be confused and think that the thesis of Myne Owne Ground is one of those "previous interpretations" - that's the present interpretation, the one currently under discussion (described as a recent, welcome shift).

Hope that clears it up for you!

[kristinaroz93]

Thanks so much!!

[cmorris32]

Hello!

I was stuck between B and D for a while, and I eventually chose D because it seems that the author first presents the main issue, which is that scholars focus on harm done by slavery rather than what Africans in the US were able to accomplish, then the author presents Breen and Innes' interpretation. The author then analyzes the interpretation's benefits and in the second paragraph describes a shortcoming.

However, I do not quite understand why B is incorrect. I feel like the author is advocating for a new approach of how to study/write about African American history.

Can you please explain why B is incorrect?

[Adam Tyson]

While it certainly looks like our author appreciates the new approach taken by Breen and Innes, calling it a "welcome shift," that is not enough to make advocating for that approach the primary purpose of the passage. It's more of a secondary or incidental purpose, isn't it? Mostly the author is interested in examining their scholarship on the subject. That's what makes B a poor answer here - it's true, to a degree, but not primary, and therefore it does not answer the question posed.