#15 - Concept Reference, Must Be True, Author's Perspective

[lathlee]

Hi. the concepts and descripts in each question choices are very similar here. how can i distinguish the wrong ones and the correct one

[Emily Haney-Caron]

Hi lathlee,

The words in the answer choices are very similar, but the concepts are different. Each answer choice is telling you possible answers to two questions: Does he think it will happen? Does he want it to? Here are the answers to those questions each suggests:
A: Definitely not; yes
B: Maybe not; yes
C: Not sure; yes
D: Not sure; yes [note - because C and D are essentially saying the same thing, neither is going to be the right answer]
E: Definitely yes; yes

Looking at it that way, you really just need to identify whether the author thinks the courts will give ownership rights to native communities. Once you figure that out, you'll have the answer.

[WildMountainElk]

I've been really struggling with these author's attitude questions lately. I put in extra time on this question, but alas I still got it wrong.
I chose D. My reasoning for choosing D came from the final sentence of the passage. It is clear from this sentence that the author believes that this should happen (by using phrases like "can clearly claim" and "should be honored"). But the first part of the sentence seemed to be somewhat conditional, i.e. as awareness grows, recognition will increase. Because of the conditional nature here, and because the author doesn't indicate he is convinced that awareness will grow, I thought "convinced" in answer choice E was too strong. What am I missing here?

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi WildMountainElk,

The key to this answer choice actually came at the end of the passage, not the beginning. I agree that the language in answer choice (E) is very very strong. But the passage language backs that up. The author says the Canadian courts "will" recognize these rights, and that these property claims "should" be respected. Those are clear statements of what will happen in the future, and supports the strong, certain language in answer choice (E).

Hope that helps!