#8 - Main Point

[Administrator]

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

The correct answer choice is (E)

The answer to this Main Point question is prephrased in the passage discussion.

Answer choice (A): The author does mention that Dunham developed a research-to-performance method, but as discussed above that is not the main point of the passage, so this cannot be the right answer choice.

Answer choice (B): Dunham’s works were distinct, but they might not have been the only ones that incorporated authentic dance techniques. In any case, this is certainly not the main point of the passage, so this choice should be ruled out of contention.

Answer choice (C): The author does not mention the expression of aesthetic or political concerns of African American dancers and choreographers. Since this choice doesn’t even pass the Fact Test, it cannot possibly be the Main Point of the passage.

Answer choice (D): Although Dunham did focus on the African roots of Caribbean dance, the author does not claim that she discovered those roots, so this choice is not accurate and should be ruled out of contention.

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. As discussed, Dunham’s crossover expertise allowed her to change North American modern dance.

[15veries]

Hi,

I'm not sure why A is wrong.
Is it because it is too specific?

[gintriag]

Hi,

I'm not sure why A is wrong.
Is it because it is too specific?

Hi 15veries,

Answer A is not the right answer because it is too narrow. It doesnt summarizes the whole passage as answer E does. It lacks to mention the dance ability of Dunham and the influence on North American dance. Hope this helps!

[Adam Tyson]

I'll add my two cents to this one, 15. I think a problem with answer A is that it focuses too much on Dunham's contributions to anthropology and not enough on her contributions to dance. In fact, I would say that A goes too far and says something that is not actually supported by the passage. We have no information to support the idea that Dunham "transformed" anthropology in any way. She did break away from the the prevailing mode of data gathering, and she was a pioneer in dance ethnology, but does that add up to such an extreme claim as she "transformed the field of anthropology"? I don't think so.

Since the focus of the passage is her contribution to dance, and not her contribution to anthropology, answer E is far superior to answer A. That's another important point here, and it requires a shift in your approach to the entire test. We aren't looking for answers that are right or wrong, and it's not about why A is wrong. The focus is on picking the best answer, because that's what the instructions tell us to do. Don't waste time and energy thinking about right and wrong, but instead make the shift to thinking about which answers are better than others. You can avoid many attractive wrong answers, and plenty of ugly ones, that way.

Keep at it!