#13 - Concept Reference, Parallel

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=13642)

The correct answer choice (D)

This question asks for the choice that best parallels Katherine Dunham’s work in anthropology and choreography. Again, Dunham used her expertise in social science together with her dance expertise to immerse herself in the types of dance that she chose to study, incorporating what she learned in modern dance.

Answer choice (A): This choice begins along the right lines: the archeologist applies two types of expertise to research, and then passes along the lessons learned. This example, however, lacks the immersive aspect discussed in the passage; the degree of immersion possible for this archeologist is severely limited when compared with Dunham’s taking part in the dances themselves, with the dancers she was researching. Since this is not the choice that is most closely analogous to that of Dunham’s work in anthropology and choreography, it cannot be the right answer to this Parallel Reasoning question.

Answer choice (B): The Australian medical researcher discussed in this answer choice has botany training (in addition to the expertise in medical research) analogous to Dunham’s two types of expertise, and passes along what she learns, but beyond these basic similarities, this choice fails to parallel Dunham’s story and should thus be ruled out of contention.

Answer choice (C): This choice discusses work done in concert by a Canadian surgeon and a Vietnamese surgeon. This is not the same sort of overlapping expertise manifest by Dunham. Further, this choice describes a collaboration, unlike the immersive research that Dunham undertook, on her own, to become a pioneer.

Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. This choice nicely parallels many aspects of the passage, with the Brazilian teacher blending two types of expertise to do immersive research in other countries, and then returning to share what was learned, much like Dunham had done with regard to her research in dance.

Answer choice (E): The Italian fashion designer discussed in this answer choice did some research, but that is not the same as having extensive training in two fields of expertise, as Katherine Dunham had, so this is not the choice that is most analogous and should be ruled out in response to this Parallel Reasoning question.

[avengingangel]

WRT (D), Dunham didn't "introduce the most effective" dance techniques in her own country, or anything similar. She performed traditional dance from other cultures that she mixed with "modern dance styles she learned in Chicago." Says nothing about the most effective, or best etc. styles. I don't see how the (D) scenario "fits" with Dunham's efforts. I would never chose that answer choice...

[Emily Haney-Caron]

Hi avengingangel,

I agree with you that D is not a perfect answer. Fortunately, we're looking for the answer choice "most analogous," not completely analogous. Which answer choice did you think was a better analogy? If you explain that, we can help get you back on track using an explanation tailored to your perspective of the question.

[meercat44]

I struggled with this question. My abstract breakdown of what happened here is that an expert in one field (anthropology) uses her skill in another field (dance) to deepen her study of the latter field, and ultimately winds up having a profound influence on that latter field. D doesn't really share that structure - in D, an expert in one field (teaching) with experience in another (social psychology) studies something in the former field (Teaching) and winds up influencing that field (teaching).

Any guidance here would be great. Thanks!

[Francis O'Rourke]

Hi Meercat,

an expert in one field (anthropology) uses her skill in another field (dance) to deepen her study of the latter field, and ultimately winds up having a profound influence on that latter field.

It looks like you thought of Dunham's anthropology and Dance as more separate fields than the author did. One important aspect of Dunham's work was that she used both her anthropological and her Dance training to accomplish something that impacted both fields.

Answer choice (D) parallels this somewhat well. This teacher uses his experience in social psychology to research another culture's teaching methods and has success in both the social study and the pedagogical reforms, just as Dunham had success in both her research and her influence on North American dance.

Let us know if this helps!

[lsatnoobie]

Hi Meercat,

an expert in one field (anthropology) uses her skill in another field (dance) to deepen her study of the latter field, and ultimately winds up having a profound influence on that latter field.

It looks like you thought of Dunham's anthropology and Dance as more separate fields than the author did. One important aspect of Dunham's work was that she used both her anthropological and her Dance training to accomplish something that impacted both fields.

Answer choice (D) parallels this somewhat well. This teacher uses his experience in social psychology to research another culture's teaching methods and has success in both the social study and the pedagogical reforms, just as Dunham had success in both her research and her influence on North American dance.

Let us know if this helps!

For question 13, the latter half of A and B I thought was referring to the very last sentence of the passage “her work was thus crucial in establishing African American dance as an art form in its own right, making possible future companies such as Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Thester of Harlem.

Isn’t the above the same as someone else taking Katherine’s studies and using it for something else in the future?

D is missing the entire last paragraph about how her work had future implications

[Brook Miscoski]

Noobie,

This is a difficult question because none of the answers are particularly similar in the way you might expect them to be.

In fact, every single one of the answers leaves out some relationship that it could have included.

The only way to survive this question in an acceptable amount of time is to be aggressive about elimination. I would approach it this way:

(A) wrong. French...Korean. Dunham brought it back to her own country.
(B) wrong. Others collect the data. Durham collected the data herself.
(C) wrong. Has surgeons working together. Durham was unique; she didn't have a counterpart.
(D) right/least wrong. Not wonderful, but the teacher has an additional skill(social psychology) and brings back teaching ideas to his own country. That's like Durham, who was a dancer but also a scientist, and brought back dancing ideas to her own country.
(E) wrong. This guy researches several cultures and then writes a book for his fellow professionals. Durham interacted with Caribbean culture and then made dances for everyone to watch (theater).

I don't know how you feel about that, but this is the approach I would take. There are too many similarities to hunt for, and they can't all be included in these really short choices, so you're way better off looking for clear, explicit divergence. It's also less painful. Don't sweat this kind of question way too much, but do think about what I have pointed out. Always first sort into Contenders and Losers.

[ShannonOh22]

The first thing I looked for in the answer choices for this question was a similar analogy to the two very different spheres of expertise Dunham had - anthropology and dance. D) uses a teacher with training in psychology (still very much cerebral in nature), who then travels to other countries (which Dunham does not do), and there this teacher studies...wait for it...teaching. I don't see any correlations between this answer choice and what is explained in the passage.

Answer choice A, on the other hand, I can make a fairly strong case for. A describes a French archaeologist with training in musicology (here we have two very different areas of study/expertise - one is academic, and one is of the arts (exactly like Dunham...) who studies the historical use of particular instruments, and then uses these findings, with the help of an engineer in a different country (Korea), to influence the creation of similar sounds in present-day versions of the instrument. This mirrors Dunham using her choreography knowledge to research historical forms of dance in other countries, and incorporating her findings into present-day performances and teachings.

I'm frustratingly unable to make any kind of a case for D. Please help...

[Jeremy Press]

Hi Shannon,

One of the most important parts of Dunham's work is present in answer choice D and missing from answer choice A. Line 31 says that, "[e]specially critical to her success was her approach to research," in which she (jump down to line 34) became "closely involved in the dances she was observing" (rather than, as her colleagues recommended, conducting her research "from a position of complete detachment"). She was practicing the very thing she was researching. In other words, she was both researching dance and doing the dancing! This is critical to her work, and to the answer choices here.

In answer choice A, the researcher simply "researches" the instruments, but there is no hint of participation in the thing being studied (no hint of playing the instruments). In answer choice D, the teacher studies teaching procedures "while working with" [i.e. teaching with] other teachers. Thus, the teacher is a participant in the thing being studied (a practitioner of the procedures being studied).

One of your objections to answer choice D is that you thought Dunham did not travel to other countries to do her research. While it's certainly unclear where Dunham lived prior to her Caribbean research, the final paragraph contains some hints that her home is the United States (and that her Caribbean research was an excursion away from home). The final paragraph discusses the modern dance styles she "learned in Chicago," and discusses how her Caribbean research became a basis for a company like Arthur Mitchell's Dance Theater of Harlem. The suggestion is that she brought her research home to (or at least TO, if not home to) the United States. Another hint that the Caribbean was not Dunham's home is in the description of her research method in the third paragraph: the notion of immersion, and the idea that her research was a process of "learn[ing] the techniques well enough," suggest Dunham was trying to pick something up that wasn't, for her, a native experience.

I hope this helps!

Jeremy