#21 - Global Reference, Must Be True, Main Point

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (C).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):


This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[chian9010]

Hi,

I am not sure why C is the correct answer... I get rid of it for two reasons.
One, I thought according to the first sentence on the third paragraph, it is clear that the English and colonial institutions were structurally similar.

Second, And according to the article, it did mention that the colonies interpretation of the language is different from English people but that doesn't meant that their interpretation is "conflict." Could you please point out where in the article mentions that their interpretation is conflict?

[James Finch]

Hi Chian,

Answer choice (C) is correct because it accurately sums up the heart of the disagreement between colonial and English political thought, according to the passage: that while they shared many institutions, language, etc., their understanding of what those things meant diverged dramatically over time. (C) explicitly acknowledges the structural similarities mentioned in the passage, while also recognizing the different interpretations of those structures the two groups had.

As to your second point, there are two things to be said about the conflict that the passage addresses. First, the LSAT is a US and Canadian test that assumes a certain knowledge of US history, including the general scope of colonial and revolutionary war history described in this passage. As the divergences explained in the passage occurred in the period leading up to the revolutionary war, we can infer that they were a cause of conflict. The last sentence sums up this background, which sets up the political issues that would emerge into open warfare in 1776. When combined, the second and third paragraphs make clear that the two sides were definitely in conflict: the English side had an unwritten constitution governed by an omnipotent Parliament, while the colonial side governed themselves via written constitutions, and wanted a constitution for the entire country they were living in.

Hope this clears things up!

[dshen123]

can someone explain why A is wrong?

[Luke Haqq]

Hi dshen123!

The language of "hostility" in answer choice (A) is pretty strong, and I'm not finding clear support for it in the passage.

Remember that, for a main point question, the correct answer choice must capture the passage as a whole, rather than only part of it. I'd certainly have expected hostility to be mentioned in the first paragraph, if it were indeed central to the main point. But it's missing there and in subsequent paragraphs. There's mention that the "citizens of these colonies did not look upon the English Parliament with such fond eyes" (lines 40-41), but that falls short of hostility.

If there are parts of this passage that still lead you to conclude that colonial attitudes grew increasingly hostile toward English institutions, and that this was the main point that the entire passage was driving at, do feel free to note those parts here and we can certainly address your rationale more in-depth.