#23 - Concept Reference, Must Be True

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (D).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

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

Answer choice (E):


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

[MeliXi]

I narrowed it down to A & D but ultimately chose A.
Why is D the better answer?
can't it be argued that the different responses were a "desire for further advancement" (rising expectations) and an attempt to make "appreciable headway" but ultimately failing (relative deprivation)?

[Jeremy Press]

Hi Meli,

The problem with that reading is the language of the passage doesn't really allow for it. When the passage describes the rising expectations theory at the beginning of paragraph three, the author says, "protest activity was a response to psychological tensions." So the author clearly envisions the "response" as the protest activity. The author refers to that same response when discussing the relative deprivation theory: "the impetus to protest is identified as gains achieved during the premovement period." If the "gains achieved" are the impetus, the "response to" (or effect of) that impetus is protest. So, under both theories, the effect (response to conditions) is protest. It's the causes (the motivations) that differ, which is described by answer choice D, when it mentions "the motivation of protesters," (i.e., what is driving them to protest). What's driving them to protest under rising expectations is the improvement in their condition (regardless of how that condition compared to others). What's driving them to protest under relative deprivation is the failure to improve relative to others (comparing their condition to the dominant group).

Let me know if that clears it up!

[Lincoln V]

Hello!

I don't understand why E is incorrect. I was between D and E and both seemed fair- never a great spot to be in.

Boiling them down-
Rising expectations is... what it sounds like- Even though things were improving they never stopped wanting.
Relative Deprivation is... even though things were improving, they did not accept not making headway toward closing the gap between themselves and the dominant group.

D- I see how this is correct, motivations are slightly different.
E- the relevance of socioeconomic status is the heart of the issue in RD, while in RE its not explicitly or even implicitly mentioned, meaning they would disagree on how relevant socioeconomic status is as a system strain.

I'm accepting that I am wrong- not arguing with LSAC, just confused! Thanks!

[Robert Carroll]

Lincoln,

Socioeconomic status is the relevant social strain for every one of the three theories. Look at lines 13-17 ("...some unusual condition, or 'social strain,'...") and lines 17-22 (when...applied to the civil rights movement, the source of strain is identified as a change in black socioeconomic status...").

The "gains" in the next paragraph are all of them socioeconomic gains.

Robert Carroll

[Lincoln V]

Hi Robert,

Thanks for pointing me toward those lines.

I suppose my internal definition of socioeconomic status was incorrect. I was operating under the assumption that ones socioeconomic status was relative to your surroundings. For example if I was given a $10k raise, but everybody else was given the same exact raise, I am still in the same socioeconomic "class".

At any rate, those lines you cite certainly should have pointed me toward D. Thanks!

[ikim10]

Hello! I narrowed this question down to (B) and (D). I originally had (D), but during my blind review switched my answer to (B).

I thought (B) was a stronger answer choice because it specifically mentioned "psychological explanations." In paragraph 2, psychological tensions are only mentioned for the rising expectations theory and not the relative deprivation theory.

On the other hand, they are both very similar because aside from the pyschological tensions, both claim that the gains made during the premovement period were a motivator for the protests, which made me originally put (D).

Could you please clarify why (D) is correct?

[Luke Haqq]

Hi ikim10!

Answer choice (D) states that the two models "describe the motivation of protesters in slightly different ways."

The theory of rising expectations emphasizes "psychological tensions generated by gains experienced immediately prior to the civil rights movement" (lines 25-27). The theory of relative deprivation is described as "[o]nly slightly different" (line 29). That similar phrasing should already make (D) look like a good choice. The passage goes on to explain that this second theory involves gains like the first theory, but it differs in that this is "coupled with simultaneous failure to make any appreciable headway relative to the dominant group" (lines 32-34). So that second part makes the theory of relative deprivation differ from the theory of rising expectations. These two theories are therefore close to one another yet slightly different in describing the motivations of protesters, as answer choice (D) describes.

You make a good point in noticing that the "psychological tensions" part isn't repeated when discussing the second theory. On my reading, that is part of the second theory given the context--the second theory is similar with respect to gains, and these gains are relevant because of the psychological tension they create. In any event, there doesn't appear to be any material in the passage indicating that they decisively disagree about the relevance of psychological explanations. They both posit psychological explanations, so proponents of both theories seem to agree that psychological explanations are indeed relevant.