# 9 - Subject Perspective, Must Be True

[avengingangel]

I see why B is correct, from the sentence in lines 19-21. BUT, C, the answer I chose, ALSO seems to be just as correct, and can be found in the same sentence that is used to justify B as the correct answer. The 2nd part of that same sentence, in Lines 21-24 reads: "...these critics argue, cannnot be understood and adequately appreciated if one insists on approaching them solely from within the majority culture's perspective." C says exactly that! (but uses "successfully study" instead of "understood and adequately appreciated" and "more then one cultural perspective" instead of "approaching them solely from within the majority culture's perspective.")

Can you please tell my why or how those Critics would be more likely to agree with B than with C ?? Thanks !!

(I'll just take a moment to mention again that I'm taking the test THIS Saturday...

[avengingangel]

Oh geeze - I think I see why.

Is it because answer choice C is talking about successfully studying another culture, while the sentence in the passage is actually talking about understanding and adequately appreciating another's value system ??

Wow, that is soo nuanced / tricky if that is the reason it's wrong! WHO is going to catch that while you have the clock against you ?!?

[David Boyle]

Oh geeze - I think I see why.

Is it because answer choice C is talking about successfully studying another culture, while the sentence in the passage is actually talking about understanding and adequately appreciating another's value system ??

Wow, that is soo nuanced / tricky if that is the reason it's wrong! WHO is going to catch that while you have the clock against you ?!?

Hello,

I don't think "value system" is the issue; it may be fairly synonymous with "culture". --What is tricky about answer C, "It is impossible for one culture to successfully study another culture unless it does so from more than one cultural perspective", is that you could then maybe study culture C from a faraway land, through the perspective of your own culture, culture A, and also through the perspective of another culture in a land close to you, culture B. So that's more than one cultural perspective; but it doesn't include the perspective of culture C itself! So answer C is not a good answer compared to B.

David

[lathlee]

Hi. I had difficult moment choosing between B or E but went with E) considering that the main point of this passage is significantly about criticizing how the western way of looking at things would not work in multicultural education.
Therefore I am okay with b) being correct but i do not understand why E) as the incorrect

[Shannon Parker]

Hi. I had difficult moment choosing between B or E but went with E) considering that the main point of this passage is significantly about criticizing how the western way of looking at things would not work in multicultural education.
Therefore I am okay with b) being correct but i do not understand why E) as the incorrect

Be careful when the author's present equivalent terms. Sometimes they may present them in a way that appears to equivalent but is not, others they may not highlight that they are in fact equivalent. As you picked up on the main point of the passage is that evaluating other cultures through the lens of western culture is ineffective, because the values of each culture are different. The passage starts off by discussing the US and Canada as the majority cultures in these settings. The passage then presents liberalism as one of the values of the majority culture. Therefore, liberalism is one of the values of western culture, and can be understood through the lens of western culture including western science. Therefore answer choice E is incorrect.

I hope this helps clear it up some.

Shannon

[SammyWu11201]

Hello! I don't understand why Answer Choice D is wrong. In the second paragraph, the critics argue that a "genuine understanding of other cultures is impossible if the study of other cultures is refracted through the distorting lens of the majority culture's perspective." Then, these critics point out that not all cultures share the same value system, in essence, they are different. Answer Choice D says just that, that genuine understanding of another culture is impossible unless that culture shares the same cultural values. The majority culture's values are different from the minority culture being studied. Thus, you cannot possibly get a genuine understanding of that other culture, and doing so is distorting.

Another question: Why is Answer Choice B right? Where in the passage does it say that the historical and social circumstances of a culture can play an IMPORTANT role in the development of that culture's values? How can we infer that they are important roles?

[Frank Peter]

Hi Sammy,

It sounds like (D) is too strong. The critics argue "Their value (20) systems have arisen in often radically different social
and historical circumstances, and thus, these critics argue, cannot be understood and adequately appreciated if one insists on approaching them solely from within the majority culture’s perspective." That doesn't sound like they think understanding is impossible, just that understanding cannot be achieved through the majority culture's perspective (i.e. liberalism). However, the critics also seem to suggest that the understanding the social and historical circumstances of the culture can better aid in understanding (as opposed to an approach that interprets another culture's values through the dominant culture's perspective). This is why (B) is the better answer here.

[SammyWu11201]

Hey, Peter. But if you go a line above the one you just quoted, it says, "Critics of this first proposal have argued that genuine understanding of other cultures is IMPOSSIBLE..." Therefore, AC D does match the strength of the critics' argument. ALSO, are you saying that the critics in the second paragraph are not saying that the value system of the majority culture is different than the minority culture being examined? I took it to mean that they are saying that it is different from lines 19-24: "Their value systems have arisen in ften radically different social and historical circumstances, and thus, these critics argue, cannot be understood and adequately appreciated if one insists on approaching them solely from within the majority culture's perspective."

[Frank Peter]

Hi Sammy,

The nuance here is that it’s conditional - they say “ understanding of other cultures is impossible if the study of other cultures is refracted through the distorting lens of the majority culture’s perspective. Not all cultures share liberal values.”

They continue: “ Their value (20) systems have arisen in often radically different social
and historical circumstances, and thus, these critics argue, cannot be understood and adequately appreciated if one insists on approaching them solely from within the majority culture’s perspective.”

They aren’t saying that it is categorically impossible for someone from outside the culture to understand it; it would only be impossible if that understanding is refracted through the lens of the dominant culture.