Historians have traditionally focused on New England as the true birth

Question

Historians have traditionally focused on New England as the true birthplace of America, yet New England was fairly unrepresentative of the real America - a homogenous society dominated by English Puritans and their inflexible doctrines. The middle colonies, on the other hand, were made up of people of diverse origins, races, and creeds, so their interrelationships are unquestionably more symbolic of American culture. Like most people's idea of America, the middle colonies developed a commercial culture based on a balanced economy, and showed no real homogenous cultural traits that ran through the region. Indeed, most of the groups that coexisted in this region did not intermingle with each other, but kept their own distinctive cultural and social habits. Because of this, the argument can be made that the middle colonies were not the heterogeneous, “ melting pot " culture that some historians claim existed. After all, heterogeneous seems to suggest a fusion of different types of people, when in fact these colonies offered more of a clannish type of policy when it came to dealing with their new neighbors.

Jack Greene hypothesizes that the idea of mastery was a crucial factor in shaping America's colonial culture. Greene suggests that the objective of the English who migrated to the Americas was to achieve mastery over the rugged land of America as well as of other groups, a mastery that was unavailable to them in their homeland. The problem with this hypothesis is that it covers only the English migration to the New World, and only a relatively small portion of that group. In truth, many English chose to relocate to America for reasons having nothing to do with mastery over others, such as religious freedom and financial gain. Greene also advocates relating the culture of colonial America back to that of Great Britain, a technique that can be useful in delineating the differences between the two areas. However, taking this approach too far can be deleterious, as the English in America were quick to develop cultural traits that had little connection to their homeland. A comparison of some of these cultural aspects would only serve to confuse. Finally, the many people who came to America from countries besides England would not fit anywhere into Greene's paradigm.    1 
 1. The author mentions Jack Green's hypothesis most likely in order to

(A) state a conclusion about facts presented in an earlier paragraph
(B) qualify the extent to which a previously mentioned hypothesis is unsatisfactory
(C) demonstrate that, of three explanatory factors offered, two may be incorrect
(D) introduce a hypothesis that is considered unsatisfactory by the author
(E) discredit a previously mentioned hypothesis.

2 
 2. According to the author, the middle colonies were more representative of American colonial culture than New England because

(A) the middle colonies were inhabited by Puritans while New England was inhabited by diverse creeds and cultures
(B) the middle colonies had symbolic relationships while New England society was dominant
(C) the middle colonies were peopled by a variety of people from different races and beliefs while New England was homogeneous
(D) New England was peopled by a variety of people from different races and beliefs while the middle colonies were homogeneous
(E) New England was inhabited by Puritans while the middle colonies were inhabited by diverse creeds and cultures

3 
 3. Which of the following is NOT cited as an objective of some of the people that immigrated to America in colonial days?

(A) Religious freedom
(B) Mastery over the land
(C) financial gain
(D) Mastery over other groups
(E) breaking out of a social class

4 
 4. The author's attitude to the claim that the middle colonies were a heterogeneous, "melting pot" ( Highlighted ) culture is

(A) limited approval
(B) tentative acceptance
(C) mild skepticism
(D) studious criticism
(E) wholehearted endorsement

RC Butler 2022  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 26 Date: 17-Jan-2022
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2022 .  Click here for Details

Source: Reading Comprehension Practice (Docs)

100mitra · Answer

Paraphrasing:  
  Para 1:   America assumed as Homogenous societies, rather than heterogeneous, and 
Middle colonies - were made up of people of diverse origins, races, and creeds
  Para 2:   Jack Greene hypothesizes idea of mastery covers only English who migrated and settled in America, which is opposite in truth

1. The author mentions Jack Green's hypothesis most likely in order to  
(A) state a conclusion about facts presented in an earlier paragraph
  Wrong:   
Para 1, gives more information about society, and 
Para 2, gives more information about hypothesizes vs actual situation

(B) qualify the extent to which a previously mentioned hypothesis is unsatisfactory
(E) discredit a previously mentioned hypothesis
  Wrong:    Irrelevant, in passage, only one hypothesizes is mentioned 
i.e idea of mastery, against which author has highlighted actual situation.

(C) demonstrate that, of three explanatory factors offered, two may be incorrect
  Wrong:   Out of scope, No such mention in the passage

(D) introduce a hypothesis that is considered unsatisfactory by the author
Correct: as mentioned in the passage, 
“The problem with this hypothesis is that it covers only the English migration to the New World, and only a relatively small portion of that group. 
In truth, many English chose to relocate to America for reasons having nothing to do with mastery over others, such as religious freedom and financial gain”

2. According to the author, the middle colonies were more representative of American colonial culture 
than New England because  
(A) the middle colonies were inhabited by Puritans while New England was inhabited by diverse creeds and cultures
  Wrong:    as per passage, it was a homogenous society dominated by English Puritans and their inflexible doctrines.

(B) the middle colonies had symbolic relationships while New England society was dominant
  Wrong:    The middle colonies unquestionably more symbolic of American culture

(C) the middle colonies were peopled by a variety of people from different races and beliefs while New England was homogeneous
Correct: as mentioned in the passage, “The middle colonies, on the other hand, were made up of people of diverse origins, races, and creeds, so their interrelationships are unquestionably more symbolic of American culture”

(D) New England was peopled by a variety of people from different races and beliefs while the middle colonies were homogeneous
  Wrong:    as mentioned in the passage, middle colonies were not homogeneous,” Indeed, most of the groups that coexisted in this region did not intermingle with each other, but kept their own distinctive cultural and social habits. Because of this, the argument can be made that the middle colonies were not the heterogeneous”

(E) New England was inhabited by Puritans while the middle colonies were inhabited by diverse creeds and cultures
  Wrong:    its was not New England, it was America

3. Which of the following is NOT cited as an objective of some of the people that immigrated to America in colonial days?

Sentence 1:  Greene suggests that the objective of the English who migrated to the Americas was to achieve mastery over the rugged land of America as well as of other groups
 
Sentence 2:  In truth, many English chose to relocate to America for reasons having nothing to do with mastery over others, such as religious freedom and financial gain

(A) Religious freedom   – Mentioned   
(B) Mastery over the land   – Mentioned    
(C) financial gain   – Mentioned   
(D) Mastery over other groups   – Mentioned   
(E) breaking out of a social class   – Not mentioned

4. The author's attitude to the claim that the middle colonies were a heterogeneous, " melting pot " culture is  
  Explanation:   as mentioned in the passage, 
" the argument can be made that the middle colonies were not the heterogeneous, 
“Melting pot" culture that some historians claim existed "
What is “ Melting pot ” meaning - a place where many different people and ideas exist together, often mixing and producing something new.
Middle colonies, were not diverse, a fusion of different types of people, which is America
Intended meaning,  Author express an unfavourable opinion for those historians, who advocate middle colonies as heterogeneous

(A) limited approval   – Irrelevant  
(B) tentative acceptance   – Irrelevant  
(C) mild skepticism   - Wrong  
  (D) studious criticism - Correct  
(E) wholehearted endorsement   – Irrelevant

hydr01 · Answer

I don't see any difference between answer choices C and E for Question #2, I'm hoping there was some sort of typo?

Vishal_Jain · Answer

Sajjad1994  
Can you provide explanation for question 2 ?
I was able to get all right. However, not confident at way I arrived at the answer for question.

Thanks & Regards
Vishal Jain.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. According to the author, the middle colonies were more representative of American colonial culture than New England because

Difficulty Level:   650-700

Explanation

The correct answer is  (C): "the middle colonies were peopled by a variety of people from different races and beliefs while New England was homogeneous."

(A)  The author doesn't suggest that New England was inhabited by Puritans; in fact, the author highlights the diversity of New England and its lack of representation of true American colonial culture.

(B)  The concept of  "symbolic relationships"  is not the primary reason for the middle colonies being more representative of American colonial culture. The key factor is the diversity of people from different races and beliefs in the middle colonies.

(C)   This is the correct answer. The author discusses how the middle colonies were made up of people of diverse origins, races, and creeds, making their interrelationships more symbolic of American culture. New England, on the other hand, was fairly homogenous and dominated by English Puritans.

(D)  This option is the opposite of what the author states. The author argues that the middle colonies were diverse while New England was homogeneous.

(E)  Similar to  option (A) , the author doesn't emphasize the specific religious or cultural affiliations of the colonies, so this option is not supported by the passage.

Answer: C

Historians have traditionally focused on New England as the true birth

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Historians have traditionally focused on New England as the true birth

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