In a 1918 editorial, W.E.B. Du Bois advised African Americans to stop

Question

In a 1918 editorial, W.E.B. Du Bois advised African Americans to stop agitating for equality and to proclaim their solidarity with White Americans for the duration of the First World War. The editorial surprised many African Americans who viewed Du Bois as an uncompromising African American leader and a chief opponent of the accommodationist tactics urged by Booker T.Washington. In fact, however, Du Bois often shifted positions along the continuum between Washington and confrontationists such as William Trotter. In 1895, when Washington called on African Americans to concentrate on improving their communities instead of opposing discrimination and agitating for political rights, Du Bois praised Washington’s speech. In 1903, however, Du Bois aligned himself with Trotter, Washington’s militant opponent, less for ideological reasons than because Trotter had described to him Washington’s efforts to silence those in the African American press who opposed Washington’s positions.

Du Bois's wartime position thus reflected not a change in his long-term goals but rather a pragmatic response in the face of social pressure: government officials had threatened African American journalists with censorship if they continued to voice grievances. Furthermore, Du Bois believed that African Americans’ contributions to past war efforts had brought them some legal and political advances. Du Bois’s accommodationism did not last, however. Upon learning of systematic discrimination experienced by African Americans in the military, he called on them to “return fighting” from the war.
   1 
 1. The passage is primarily concerned with

A. identifying historical circumstances that led Du Bois to alter his long-term goals.
B. defining “accommodationism” and showing how Du Bois used this strategy to achieve certain goals
C. accounting for a particular position adopted by Du Bois during the First World War.
D. contesting the view that Du Bois was significantly influenced by either Washington or Trotter
E. assessing the effectiveness of a strategy that Du Bois urged African Americans to adopt

2 
 2. The passage indicates which of the following about Du Bois's attitude toward Washington ?

A. It underwent a shift during the First World War as Du Bois became more sympathetic with Trotter's views.
B. It underwent a shift in 1903 for reasons other than Du Bois's disagreement with Washington's accommodationist views.
C. It underwent a shift as Du Bois made a long-term commitment to the strategy of accommodation.
D. It remained consistently positive even though Du Bois disagreed with Washington's efforts to control the African American press.
E. It was shaped primarily by Du Bois's appreciation of Washington's pragmatic approach to the advancement of the interests of African Americans.

3 
 3. The passage suggests which of the following about the contributions of African Americans to the United States war effort during the First World War?

A. The contributions were made largely in response to Du Bois's 1918 editorial.
B. The contributions had much the same effect as African Americans' contributions to previous wars.
C. The contributions did not end discrimination against African Americans in the military.
D. The contributions were made in protest against Trotter's confrontationist tactics.
E. The contributions were made primarily by civil rights activists who returned to activism after the war.

4 
 4. The author of the passage refers to Washington's call to African Americans in 1895 primarily in order to

A. identify Du Bois's characteristic position on the continuum between accommodationism and confrontationism
B. explain why Du Bois was sympathetic with Washington's views in 1895
C. clarify how Trotter's views differed from those of Washington in 1895
D. support an assertion about Du Bois's tendency to shift his political positions
E. dismiss the claim that Du Bois's position in his 1918 editorial was consistent with his previous views

5 
 5. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the strategy that Du Bois's 1918 editorial urged African Americans to adopt during the First World War ?

A. It was a strategy that Du Bois had consistently rejected in the past.
B. It represented a compromise between Du Bois's own views and those of Trotter.
C. It represented a significant redefinition of the long-term goals Du Bois held prior to the war.
D. It was advocated by Du Bois in response to his recognition of the discrimination faced by African Americans during the war.
E. It was advocated by Du Bois in part because of his historical knowledge of gains African Americans had made during past wars.

GMATNinjaTwo · Accepted Answer

goforgmat ,

The first sentence of the passage tells us that "W.E.B. Du Bois advised African Americans {...} to proclaim their solidarity with White Americans for the duration of the First World War", implying that Du Bois advocated for African Americans to support the war effort. The last paragraph summarizes factors contributing to Du Bois's wartime position; one of those factors was that "Du Bois believed that African Americans’ contributions to past war efforts had brought them some legal and political advances." In other words, because of his historical knowledge of gains (ie legal and political) African Americans had made during  past wars , Du Bois advocated that African Americans should proclaim their solidarity with White Americans for the duration of the First World War.

aragonn · Answer

P1 - about DB, his views + WW1 , + and - with BTW. last +Trotter
P2 - BD + long term goals same ; Change of heart when know ...
-----------------------------------

Q1 :- The passage is primarily concerned with

A. identifying historical circumstances that led Du Bois to alter his long-term goals. --- only P2
B. defining “accommodationism” and showing how Du Bois used this strategy to achieve certain goals --- P2
C. accounting for a particular position adopted by Du Bois during the First World War.--- in P1 DB takes a position. in P2 he take action on grievances of the communities. covering both p1 and p2.
D. contesting the view that Du Bois was significantly influenced by either Washington or Trotter --- p2
E. assessing the effectiveness of a strategy that Du Bois urged African Americans to adopt --- assessing is more like evaluate. that is not true for this strategy.
-----------------------------------

Q2 :- The passage indicates which of the following about Du Bois's attitude toward Washington ?
Lines to look for - a chief opponent of the accommodationist tactics urged by Booker T.Washington. however, Du Bois aligned himself with Trotter, Washington’s militant opponent, less for ideological reasons than because Trotter had described to him Washington’s efforts to silence those in the African American press who opposed Washington’s positions.
B. It underwent a shift in 1903 for reasons other than Du Bois's disagreement with Washington's accommodationist views.

------------------------------------
Q3 :- The passage suggests which of the following about the contributions of African Americans to the United States war effort during the First World War ?
C. The contributions did not end discrimination against African Americans in the military.

------------------------------------

Q4 :- The author of the passage refers to Washington's call to African Americans in 1895 primarily in order to
PRE-THINKING - this is mentioned to give example on db's shift.
D. support an assertion about Du Bois's tendency to shift his political positions
-------------------------------------

Q5 :- According to the passage, which of the following is true of the strategy that Du Bois's 1918 editorial urged African Americans to adopt during the First World War ?
Furthermore, Du Bois believed that African Americans’ contributions to past war efforts had brought them some legal and political advances. 
E. It was advocated by Du Bois in part because of his historical knowledge of gains African Americans had made during past wars.

rkhannagmat · Answer

Q5 :- According to the passage, which of the following is true of the strategy that Du Bois's 1918 editorial urged African Americans to adopt during the First World War ?
 DB's 1918 editorial advised African American people to stop agitating and to support White for the 1st W War. Now, this is because of two reasons that are mentioned in the paragraph 2 - 1> Govt. opposed African american press for voicing grievances 2> DB believed past war support led to advances for African Americans.
With this pre-thinking, let's do the process of elimination.

A. It was a strategy that Du Bois had consistently rejected in the past. -  Incorrect: Passage states in the first paragraph that DB changed position. Thus, DB had not rejected this strategy throughout the past.

B. It represented a compromise between Du Bois's own views and those of Trotter. -  Incorrect: There is no mention of a compromise between DB's and Trotter's position. In fact, Trotter position is mentioned briefly with which DB aligned

C. It represented a significant redefinition of the long-term goals Du Bois held prior to the war. -  Incorrect: 1st line of the second para rejects this choice "Du Bois's wartime position thus reflected not a change in his long-term goals but rather a pragmatic response in the face of social pressure"

D. It was advocated by Du Bois in response to his recognition of the discrimination faced by African Americans during the war. -  Opposite answer choice - Clearly, the last sentence of the passage states that this line of thought is the reason why DB recalled African Americans from the war i.e. going back on his 1918 wartime recommendation

E. It was advocated by Du Bois in part because of his historical knowledge of gains African Americans had made during past wars. -  Correct answer choice - Matches pre-thinking and is stated in the paragraph 2 as one of the reason behind DB's line of thought during wartime.

goforgmat · Answer

Please Explain Q5. I cant seem to infer that based on last wars he has called upon the African Americans to participate in the war. He merely suggests that instead of fighting for equality we must try to uplift our position.

tejyr · Answer

Anyone pls explain how Q4(The author of the passage refers to Washington call ... In order to) the answer is d.
I am getting option a (also same(...continuum...) is included in passage just before mentioning Washington's call and also in og solution also same mentioned for a)

Posted from my mobile device

GMATNinja · Answer

The OA is in fact (D), as listed in the 2017 Verbal review (question #77).

On one end of the spectrum, you have Washington, an accommodationist. On the other end, you have Trotter, a confrontationist. Rather than aligning himself with either side consistently, "Du Bois often shifted positions along the continuum between Washington and confrontationists such as William Trotter."

Du Bois was often viewed as a "chief opponent of the accommodationist tactics urged by Booker T.Washington." However, in some instances, he would be on Washington's side. For example, Du Bois supported Washington's call to African Americans in 1895. This is evidence that Du Bois would shift his political views rather than firmly aligning himself with either side.

(A) is wrong because Du Bois did not have a "characteristic position on the continuum between accommodationism and confrontationism." The call to African Americans in 1895 does not show that Du Bois regularly aligned himself with accommodationism. Rather, it showed that he was willing to SHIFT his position along the continuum.

(D) is the best answer.

sandykathuria3 · Answer

Can anyone explain the Q3's answer?

GMATNinja · Answer

To keep things clear, here's the question again:

Choice (C) states that the contributions of African Americans to the U.S. war effort during WWI "did not end discrimination against African Americans in the military."

This is indeed suggested by the end of the passage:

It's undeniably clear from this text that discrimination against African Americans in the military took place during the U.S. war effort during WWI.

The author doesn't explicitly state that contributions of African Americans  did not end  this discrimination, but it's strongly implied by everything else we're told here:

Du Bois believed that African Americans' contributions to past war efforts  had  brought them some legal and political advances. 
  However, upon learning of ongoing systematic discrimination in the military during WWI, Du Bois called on African Americans to stop contributing to the U.S. war effort. This implies that their contributions hadn't ended that discrimination and would not achieve the same kind of results as in past war efforts.

(C) is supported by the text, while every other choice is not. I wasn't sure if you were having issues eliminating the other four choices, but I hope this clarifies why (C) is worth keeping around!

magnus07 · Answer

The passage indicates which of the following about Du Bois's attitude toward Washington ?

A. It underwent a shift during the First World War as Du Bois became more sympathetic with Trotter's views.

B. It underwent a shift in 1903 for reasons other than Du Bois's disagreement with Washington's accommodationist views.

C. It underwent a shift as Du Bois made a long-term commitment to the strategy of accommodation.

D. It remained consistently positive even though Du Bois disagreed with Washington's efforts to control the African American press.

E. It was shaped primarily by Du Bois's appreciation of Washington's pragmatic approach to the advancement of the interests of African Americans

Can someone explain why it's option B. Option B clearly says reasons other than disagreement with Washington's views.But the passage has not implied that du bois disagreed with Washington's views rather only with tactics.
 GMATNinja  please help

Posted from my mobile device

GMATNinja · Answer

In 1895, Washington called on African Americans to concentrate on improving their communities instead of opposing discrimination and agitating for political rights.

Du Bois apparently liked that, so he aligned himself WITH Washington in that case, even though he generally opposed Washington's accommodationist tactics. 
 Does that mean that Du Bois had a change of heart and decided to support accommodationist tactics? No. Du Bois simply agreed with Washington in this case, so he praised Washington's speech.

Then, in 1903, Washington tried to silence those in the African American press who opposed him.

Du Bois apparently didn't like that, so he aligned himself against Washington. 
 His attitude towards Washington shifted, but not because of any fundamental change in the way he felt about Washington's accommodationist views.

In other words, Du Bois shifted his position for pragmatic (practical) reasons, not for idealogical reasons. That fits with choice (B).

I hope that helps!

jabhatta2 · Answer

Hi  GMATNinja  - my question is on 1, choice D

I thought this was right because the passage clearly shows Du Bois fluctuating from the Booker t camp to the William Trotter camp depending on the situation.

Given the fact that Du Bois keeps fluctuating between the two camps , isn't the passage thus "Contesting" the fact that Du Bois was significantly influenced by either ?

Given his shifting positions between the two camps(indicated per the passage), he is NOT influenced by either

Isn't that what D is saying ?

Gauriii · Answer

Dear Experts- Can someone please tell me why the answer to Q5 is E? On what basis can you clearly cross off the other options pleasE? Thanks in advance.

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 1 
 
I agree that the passage indicates that Du Bois shifted his position between the two camps, but does this mean that he was NOT influenced by either camp?

Not necessarily. In this case, the author provides direct evidence that Du Bois WAS influenced at times by one side or the other. The last sentence of the first paragraph shows that Trotter influenced Du Bois:

"In 1903, however, Du Bois aligned himself with Trotter, Washington’s militant opponent, less for ideological reasons than because Trotter had described to him Washington’s efforts to silence those in the African American press who opposed Washington’s positions."

So, just because Do Bois shifted positions doesn't mean that he wasn't influenced by either side. The author actually argues that he WAS influenced by both ends of the spectrum, but that his alignment might change depending on the particular situation.

Eliminate (D).

To choose (C), first break down the passage as a whole:

In the first paragraph:
 1) The author introduces a position held by Du Bois (who advised African Americans to show solidarity with White Americans during WWI)
2) We then learn that this position was surprising to many people
3) The author explains why Du Bois' position should NOT be surprising (Du Bois "often shifted positions along the continuum between Washington and confrontationists such as William Trotter.)
4) Then the author lists examples of Du Bois shifting his position

In the second paragraph:
 1) The author explains why Du Bois shifted toward the accommodationist position at the beginning of WWI
2) The author then explains why Du Bois shifted back toward the confrontationist position later in WWI

From this break down, we can see that the author's primary concern is to explain Du Bois' position on how African Americans should react to WWI.

This aligns nicely with (C):
 
(C) is the correct answer to Question 1.

Question 5 
 
Take a look at  this  post for an explanation of (E) for Question 5, and let us know if that clears it up.

I hope that helps!

Laksh47 · Answer

Hi  GMATNinja ,

Thanks for the detailed explanation of Q1 here. Although, I have a question as to why option C is correct.

Option C says -   accounting for a particular position adopted by Du Bois during the First World War.

My understanding of the meaning of this option is that the author accounts for(i.e gives record for) for a particular position adopted by Du Bois (i.e either adoptionism or confortationism).

But the according to me, in the passage, the author is not giving account of any particular position. He gives account for both the positions.

Also, even in your explanation, you concluded that the " we can see that the author's primary concern is to  explain Du Bois' position  on how African Americans should react to WWI. ". What I understand from this statement is that author explains Du Bois' overall position (not one  particular position ). Then how can option C, which talks about one particular position, be correct?

I hope my I have been able to explain my reasoning/logic to you. Could you please explain what am I missing here? Where is my reasoning flawed?

Your thoughts will be v helpful. Thanks!

GMATNinja · Answer

In this context,  to account for  something means  to explain  it. So, (C) says that the author  explains  a particular position taken by Du Bois.

The “particular position” that the author explains is Du Bois’ stance on how African Americans should react to WWI. You’re right that the author discusses Du Bois practicality and his willingness to take either the confrontationist or accommodationist position depending on the circumstance. But this is all in service of a broader aim to describe why Du Bois took the  particular  position, one more accommodationist than many expected, that he took during WWI.

So the particular position that the author explains is not that Du Bois was an accommodationist or confrontationist. Rather, the particular position is Du Bois’ seemingly uncharacteristically accommodationist stance on the African American response to WWI.

I hope that helps!

mSKR · Answer

Please help to explain why it is E but not D

Based on explanation of above  post  , I can know why it could be E but still I have doubts prevailing over D and E.

My prethinking: 
DB’s target was to get long term goal to uplift AA status . But currently, he has social pressure and he don’t want to miss future opportunities. So it is better to be silent at this time rather than reacting over it.( Situation is similar as: Some employees don’t complain against their boss when they are under his supervision in order to avoid losing chances of growth in the organization)

With this thinking when I read optionE:

I rejected E: 
In part: I could not convince myself why should I consider his strategy advocated“ in part”. In part means someone doesn’t not fully agree but also diest fully disagree. In this sceanrios what stategy he advocated that was the right step 100% as per situation.

Why I chose D:

Once he learnt that AA are facing discrimination, he advised them not to react but to accommodate because in long term, AAs would gain legal and political rights.

Here some may argue that once he learnt the discrimination, he advised AAs to come back. But as per passage it doesn’t mention that he didn’t know that there is discrimination against AAs soldiers. As he already knew there is some discrimination, so he advised them to adjust, otherwise why he need to even make such statements in editorial.

Finally when I saw answer, I was wrong.

Hi  AndrewN  sir  GMATNinja   GMATNinja Two : Please help to correct my thinking.

GMATNinja  : Please give complete explanation, if possible, in your style ( why wrong is wrong not just why correct is correct) so that discussion on this can be closed one time for all for Q5

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  imSKR . I think you are confusing the timeline from the end of the passage. Take a look again at the last few lines:

The question is asking about Du Bois's strategy via the editorial, not about how the author felt later. Choice (D) aligns with the final line of the passage, choice (E) with the first in the above excerpt. Now, I will step aside, since  GMATNinja  has been called upon to provide a thorough analysis of the answer choices in his style, to lay doubts to rest once and for all.

- Andrew

mSKR · Answer

Thanks sir for D clarification. For E, I still didn't get why "in part" is correct here? 
I don't see any relation between what he advised in editorial vs what he knows about gains of past wars. 
Please advise for E too .  AndrewN  sir

AndrewN · Answer

I think you are getting too caught up in the smallest of details,  imSKR . If I tell you I bought a car because I had enough money, does that mean that having enough money was the sole reason I made the purchase? There may be other considerations beyond what you see on the screen, and it is these thoughts that allow  in part  or something similar (such as  some ) to operate within an answer choice. Just stick with the textual evidence and seek to disprove what is easy to pick off.

- Andrew

In a 1918 editorial, W.E.B. Du Bois advised African Americans to stop

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In a 1918 editorial, W.E.B. Du Bois advised African Americans to stop

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