- Sun Nov 20, 2011 2:10 pm
#3024
Hey Arabon,
Thanks for the question. The question you are looking at is really a Parallel Reasoning question. In this case, you want to find the parallel for the approach of the mainstream historians. So, what was that approach and where can we find it described?
Let's answer the second question first. The first lines of the passage set up a contrast between African America historians and mainstream US historians. Thus, we can consider the mainstreamers approach as different and to a great extent opposite that of the African America historians. And, as you note, in the third paragraph there is an important discussion of the mainstream approach, and this discussion ultimately provides us with enough information to answer the question.
In that third paragraph, the mainstream approach is described as rooted in an environment where the nation was being glorified (L28), there was a focus on the nation as dominant (L29), and new histories were being created about the "inevitability" (L33) of nations and their mythology. This "nationalist" approach, then, is one centered on the nation and one that focuses on the inherent greatness of the nation, both in its dominance and background.
Turning to question #27, the test makers would say that answer choice (B) is correct because it reflects the nationalistic idea of innate greatness and achievement that is referenced in the early part of the third paragraph.
Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!
