#9 - Specific Reference, Must Be True, Purpose/Function

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

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

SR, Must—Purpose. The correct answer choice is (C)

This question requires an understanding of the author’s perspective and reason that the author asks
the reader to consider what may have happened if Mali had imposed a tax. The reason that the author
discusses this possibility is to lead to the point that while the outcome may not have been absolutely
ideal, it would have been better than what actually came to pass.

Answer choice (A): The author’s purpose is not to draw attention to the role of museums, so this
choice fails the Fact Test.

Answer choice (B): The author’s suggestion does not deal with Mali’s past policies, so this choice
should be ruled out of contention.

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. The author uses the final paragraph to
suggest an approach to cultural antiquities trade regulation that may be preferable to unenforceable
legal prohibitions.

Answer choice (D): The author suggests education to get people to keep more careful records; the
tax represents a separate part of the proposal.

Answer choice (E): The author does not discuss the tax in order to highlight a flaw in the UNESCO
doctrine, so this choice can be confidently ruled in response to this Must Be True question.

[gintriag]

Hi,

I don't understand why exactly the answer of this choice is (C) because the lines 49 to 51 states "...and had imposed a tax on exported objects to fund acquisitions of important pieces for the national museum."

My answer was (A) because the tax collected is supposed to help the national museum to gather important pieces.

Thanks,

[Jonathan Evans]

Hi, gintriag,

Pay attention to the question here, specifically "the author [...] primarily in order to." Questions that address the author's viewpoint in a passage or that ask the specific purpose of part of a passage are addressing two issues. First, such questions test your ability to determine the specific purpose of the cited example. Second, such questions indirectly test your understanding of the main point of the passage. As with all local questions, you must return to the passage and read every word above and below the citation (roughly one inch in either direction) to find the information necessary to generate an accurate prephrase. In this case, the specific answer to the first aspect of a local purpose question is that the author hypothesizes a system that would have led to a better outcome than what happened with the looted antiquities (lns 54-55). With respect to the second aspect of such a question (relate it to the main idea), this hypothetical relates to the author's opinion that to better preserve cultural artifacts and archaeological sites, a more practical and thorough system is required than that which existed in Mali.

Combine these two dimensions of the question together to generate a good prephrase:

"the author hypothesizes a system that would have led to a better outcome than what happened with the looted antiquities, in keeping with his view that practical solutions are needed."

This prephrase gives you a good match with answer choice C but does not match answer choice A. Answer choice A is an attractive incorrect answer because it links the cited text to a related issue but does not actually answer the question that is asked.