#19 - Concept Reference, Must Be True, Subject Perspective

[Administrator]

Question Line Reference
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=11409)

The correct answer choice is (C)

The justification for the correct answer can be found on:

(lines 19-30)

Because the missionaries concentrated their efforts on the Cherokee elite (at the expense of the traditionalist majority) a split resulted and led to a revival of traditionalist religious beliefs.

[Blueballoon5%]

The answer choice C (correct answer) uses the word "more traditionalist majority." I do not see the passage indicating that the traditionalist were the majority. The use the word "elite" to describe the part-Cherokee maybe suggests that this group was the smaller group... however, the passage never hints at the size of the two contrasting groups, so the word elite could imply the privileged status of part-White, part-Cherokee people in the eyes of the White missionaries (and the size of this group could be large and their privileged status the result of racial prejudices instead).

[Emily Haney-Caron]

Hello!

For number 20, the text actually does say that the traditionalists were the majority - lines 24-25 - "the more traditionalist full-Cherokee majority."

Hope that helps!

[puppytiff]

Hi,

Can anyone explain why E is wrong? It sounds like a paraphrase of the answer.

Thanks a lot!

[James Finch]

Hi Tiff,

The immediate issue with answer choice (E) is that it describes the Cherokee converts as attempting "to acquire political supremacy for themselves," which runs contrary to the description given in lines 21-31: these converts were already the "elite," with the power to institute reforms, so acquiring political supremacy for themselves was a moot point, they already possessed it.

Compare that to answer choice (C), the correct answer. Here we see the converts identified as the elite, and the missionaries' efforts having the unintended consequence of stirring up a backlash among the non-elite, traditional majority, all elements described in the 2nd paragraph as having caused the traditionalist revival.

Hope this helps!

[babycorn]

Can someone explain why D is incorrect? I thought it was correct because it is mentioned in the same sentence right before the mention of the revival of traditional religious beliefs.

[Robert Carroll]

babycorn,

The conflict in the passage seems to be between the part-Cherokee elite (a minority) and the full-Cherokee traditionalists (a majority). When answer choice (D) talks about reforms not being beneficial to all Cherokee, this doesn't seem to be part of the basis for the traditionalist resistance - the elite was favoring their interests over the traditionalists, so a part was favoring its own interests over another part. There's no indication that the traditionalists reacted on behalf of all Cherokee, but only on behalf of their own (majority) faction. So the situation in the passage is one of factional conflict, with neither side claimed to be representing everyone.

Robert Carroll