#19 - Author's Perspective, Must Be True

[avengingangel]

IS B correct because of "and the cosmos" in line 18 ?? Any other mention of that in the passage ?

After not liking ANY of these answer choices, I finally picked C because of Lines 29-31. Can someone please explain why C isn't correct in that sense?

Thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

I think "and the cosmos", and all the text in that section starting at line 15, is all the support we need to make B the best answer here angel.

Now, rather than me telling you why C is wrong, tell me why you think C is a contender. What is the connection between pre-contact ideas about identify and diverse communities using similar naming rituals? Is there some suggestion in the text that identity was viewed the same way from one tribe to another? I'm not getting that from the lines you cited. All I am getting is that pre-contact ideas about identity were very diverse, connected to all sorts of things well beyond the written word or even first-person oral histories.

Give that some thought, and if you still feel that C has merit, share your thoughts with us on that.

Thanks, we appreciate your participation here!

[avengingangel]

yeah, i took "the process whereby one repeatedly took on new names"... to mean "similar ritual" For the record, I didn't love this answer choice, just thought it was the least worst one.

i just really want to understand why C is the least worst, so that I don't get a question like this one wrong in the future. Right now, when I go back and re-read the passage and the question (even w/ knowing what the correct answer is), my brain still doesn't want to choose C... I'm not seeing the support from the passage (beyond cosmos / constellation).

[Adam Tyson]

Just to clarify, angel, I think you mean that B is the least worst, and B (the correct answer) is the one you just don't want to pick even after looking at it again?

Assuming that, once again you should look to the text, starting at line 15:

The idea of self was, in a number of pre-contact Native American cultures, markedly inclusive: identity was not merely individual, but also relational to a society, a specific landscape, and the cosmos

(emphasis added)

The cosmos refers to the stars, the galaxy, the universe - all that stuff out there beyond the sky. That's the best support you will find for the idea that someone's name might include a reference to a constellation.

Another way to look at it is by recognizing that there is no support - none - for any of the other answer choices. Sometimes, what makes one answer the best answer is not that it is strong, but that the others are weak. There is at least that one reference to help answer B, but no such similar support in the text for any other choice. Stick to the text, and look for support for your contenders. The one with the most support (in this case, the only one with any support) is the best answer.

I hope that helps! Good luck!

[lsatquestions]

Hi Adam, I still do not see how the brief mention of "cosmos" in the 2nd paragraph means that B is the correct answer. There is also a brief mention of naming and decorated shields in the passage as well. Can you please go through each answer choice and explain why it is incorrect? Thanks!

[lsatquestions]

Hi Adam, I still do not see how the brief mention of "cosmos" in the 2nd paragraph means that B is the correct answer. There is also a brief mention of naming and decorated shields in the passage as well. Can you please go through each answer choice and explain why it is incorrect? Thanks!

Can anyone assist here?

[Adam Tyson]

The short answer is that they are all wrong for the same reason, which is that there is no evidence to support any of them. It's hard to point to any lack of evidence! But if you feel there is another answer that has support, let us know what specific text in the passage you believe supports which answer and we will respond. Be sure that text connects the answer choice to "the ideas about identity that the author attributes to pre-contact Native American cultures."

[laurennr]

I initially had marked an incorrect answer before I decided on B. This was my thought process:

A was clearly wrong to me because the passage mentions changing/ adding names later in life
Left B
For C I thought the phrase "diverse communities" was too vague and could have implications the author wouldn't agree with. I thought to myself- would the author think diverse communities in England have a similar naming ritual as Native Americans?
I struggled with D and E for a while. I began thinking about situations in which Native Americans would earn a new name or added decorations to their shield. Couldn't two friends of the same tribe share the same experience (let's say they fight off a predator together or something) and have names added that are the same? What if a certain tribe had special markings that were specific to that tribe?

B ended up making the most sense because it doesn't have any restrictions and is most similar with the author's mention of relating individuals to more abstract ideas. I'm not sure if my way of thinking was correct or the most expeditious, but I figured it might be helpful.

[Robert Carroll]

laurennr,

We're specifically looking for things that relate to ideas about identity here. With that in mind:

Answer choice (C) has no link to identity whatsoever. Whatever the rituals for assuming new names are, and however common or not they may be across cultures, there's nothing here about the ideas about identity: "...individual....but also relational to a society, specific landscape, and the cosmos."

Answer choice (D) doesn't bear any relation to that quote either. Names are never repeated. What does that have to do with identity?

Answer choice (E) also doesn't bear any relation to the discussion of identity.

Robert Carroll