#4 - Specific Reference, Author's Perspective

[DAthenour]

Hi PowerScore,

I am confused by number 4 on this passage. I had my answers down to either C or E, and incorrectly chose answer choice C. I am wondering what makes C wrong and what makes E right. Is it because, according to the author, the problem with the Internet communities is not that they are not geographically bound, but rather because they lack the diversity that makes locational communities strong?

Thank you for your help!

[nicholaspavic]

Hi DAthenour,

That is a great observation and the exactly right on to disqualify Answer Option (C). Which is to say that (C)'s emphasis on the same geographic location is the exact opposite of what the question calls for. Rather, Answer Choice (E)'s emphasis on interdependence despite different economic and educational backgrounds focuses on the diversity emphasized by the author.

Thanks for the great question and I hope this helps!

[Taraneh]

Hi,

I'd really appreciate some help understanding the answer to question 4. Given that in the first paragraph, the author cites sharing a common location as a criterion for a community and that advocates claim that conferences can be communities even though they are geographically distant, I chose answer C. If being a community is contingent upon sharing the same location, then conferences can't be communities. The reason the answer E about interdependence doesn't make sense to me is because the author gives mutual respect as an example of the interdependence in the beginning of the paragraph, and we're not given any reason to believe that conferences lack elements such as mutual respect. To the contrary, later parts in the passage (the part about not using capital letters so as to not give the impression of shouting) point to the presence of mutual respect. I would love some help in clarifying why this answer is the correct one and why the one I chose is not. Thanks!

[katehos]

Hi Taraneh!

To help answer your question, I think it's best to start off with what this question itself is asking. This is a Specific Reference question that asks you to identify a principle that conforms with the author's refutation of the claims of advocates. The refutation in question is located in paragraph 3, starting at line 43 where the author points out that computer conferences "fall short of communities." Throughout this paragraph, the author points to a few reasons why conferences fall short: they discriminate along educational and economic lines and they are self-selecting. These issues stand at odds with what the author believes makes a community, since actual communities are 'nonintentional' and 'exhibit genuine diversity.' While these relate to the author's belief that genuine communities typically share a geographic location (found in the beginning of the passage like you mentioned), it's not the geographic location itself that makes a community; rather, the shared location is 'nonintentional' and thus inhabitants are more likely to 'exhibit genuine diversity.'

Ultimately, the principle exhibited in (C) fails to capture a good portion of the author's refutation of the advocates' claim. It's clear that there is much more than just geographic location that makes a community in the author's mind. Answer choice (E) most accurately captures the reasons explained by the author in paragraph 3, as (E) incorporates the author's emphasis on varying economic and educational backgrounds of people relying on one another in a community. Additionally, the mention of interdependence in this answer choice does not simply mean mutual respect. Mutual respect is given as one example of interdependence in the first paragraph. So, even though computer conferences have signs of mutual respect (which the author acknowledges in line 42), they still are not communities because they lack diverse backgrounds.

I hope this helps!
Kate