In contrast to the mainstream of U.S. historiography during the late n

Question

In contrast to the mainstream of U.S.
historiography during the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries, African American historians of
the period, such as George Washington Williams and
  (5)   W. E. B. DuBois, adopted a transnational perspective.
This was true for several reasons, not the least of
which was the necessity of doing so if certain aspects
of the history of African Americans in the United
States were to be treated honestly.

(10)   First, there was the problem of citizenship. Even
after the adoption in 1868 of the Fourteenth
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which defined
citizenship, the question of citizenship for African
Americans had not been genuinely resolved. Because
  (15)   of this, emigrationist sentiment was a central issue in
black political discourse, and both issues were critical
topics for investigation. The implications for historical
scholarship and national identity were enormous. While
some black leaders insisted on their right to U.S.
  (20)   citizenship, others called on black people to emigrate
and find a homeland of their own. Most African
Americans were certainly not willing to relinquish
their claims to the benefits of U.S. citizenship, but many
had reached a point of profound pessimism and had begun
  (25)   to question their allegiance to the United States.

Mainstream U.S. historiography was firmly rooted
in a nationalist approach during this period; the
glorification of the nation and a focus on the
nation-state as a historical force were dominant.The
  (30)   expanding spheres of influence of Europe and the
United States prompted the creation of new
genealogies of nations, new myths about the
inevitability of nations, their “temperaments,” their
destinies. African American intellectuals who
  (35)   confronted the nationalist approach to historiography
were troubled by its implications. Some argued that
imperialism was a natural outgrowth of nationalism
and its view that a state’s strength is measured by the
extension of its political power over colonial territory;
  (40)   the scramble for colonial empires was a distinct
aspect of nationalism in the latter part of the
nineteenth century.

Yet, for all their distrust of U.S. nationalism, most
early black historians were themselves engaged in a
  (45)   sort of nation building. Deliberately or not, they
contributed to the formation of a collective identity,
reconstructing a glorious African past for the
purposes of overturning degrading representations of
blackness and establishing a firm cultural basis for a
  (50)   shared identity. Thus, one might argue that black
historians’ internationalism was a manifestation of a
kind of nationalism that posits a diasporic community,
which, while lacking a sovereign territory or official
language, possesses a single culture, however
  (55)   mythical, with singular historical roots. Many
members of this diaspora saw themselves as an
oppressed “nation” without a homeland, or they
imagined Africa as home. Hence, these historians
understood their task to be the writing of the history
  (60)   of a people scattered by force and circumstance, a
history that began in Africa.    1 
 1. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main idea of the passage?

(A) Historians are now recognizing that the major challenge faced by African Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was the struggle for citizenship.
(B) Early African American historians who practiced a transnational approach to history were primarily interested in advancing an emigrationist project.
(C) U.S. historiography in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was characterized by a conflict between African American historians who viewed history from a transnational perspective and mainstream historians who took a nationalist perspective.
(D) The transnational perspective of early African American historians countered mainstream nationalist historiography, but it was arguably nationalist itself to the extent that it posited a culturally unified diasporic community.
(E) Mainstream U.S. historians in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries could no longer justify their nationalist approach to history once they were confronted with the transnational perspective taken by African American historians.

2 
 2. Which one of the following phrases most accurately conveys the sense of the word “reconstructing” as it is used in line 47?

(A) correcting a misconception about
(B) determining the sequence of events in
(C) investigating the implications of
(D) rewarding the promoters of
(E) shaping a conception of

3 
 3. Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the passage?

(A) Emigrationist sentiment would not have been as strong among African Americans in the late nineteenth century had the promise of U.S. citizenship been fully realized for African Americans at that time.
(B) Scholars writing the history of diasporic communities generally do not discuss the forces that initially caused the scattering of the members of those communities.
(C) Most historians of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries endeavored to make the histories of the nations about which they wrote seem more glorious than they actually were.
(D) To be properly considered nationalist, a historical work must ignore the ways in which one nation’s foreign policy decisions affected other nations.
(E) A considerable number of early African American historians embraced nationalism and the inevitability of the dominance of the nation-state.

4 
 4. As it is described in the passage, the transnational approach employed by African American historians working in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries would be best exemplified by a historical study that

(A) investigated the extent to which European and U.S. nationalist mythologies contradicted one another
(B) defined the national characters of the United States and several European nations by focusing on their treatment of minority populations rather than on their territorial ambitions
(C) recounted the attempts by the United States to gain control over new territories during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
(D) considered the impact of emigrationist sentiment among African Americans on U.S. foreign policy in Africa during the late nineteenth century
(E) examined the extent to which African American culture at the turn of the century incorporated traditions that were common to a number of African cultures

5 
 5. The passage provides information sufficient to answer which one of the following questions?

(A) Which African nations did early African American historians research in writing their histories of the African diaspora?
(B) What were some of the African languages spoken by the ancestors of the members of the African diasporic community who were living in the United States in the late nineteenth century?
(C) Over which territories abroad did the United States attempt to extend its political power in the latter part of the nineteenth century?
(D) Are there textual ambiguities in the Fourteenth Amendment that spurred the conflict over U.S. citizenship for African Americans?
(E) In what ways did African American leaders respond to the question of citizenship for African Americans in the latter part of the nineteenth century?

6 
 6. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Members of a particular diasporic community have a common country of origin.
(B) Territorial sovereignty is not a prerequisite for the project of nation building.
(C) Early African American historians who rejected nationalist historiography declined to engage in historical myth-making of any kind.
(D) The most prominent African American historians in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries advocated emigration for African Americans.
(E) Historians who employed a nationalist approach focused on entirely different events from those studied and written about by early African American historians.

7 
 7. The main purpose of the second paragraph of the passage is to

(A) explain why early African American historians felt compelled to approach historiography in the way that they did
(B) show that governmental actions such as constitutional amendments do not always have the desired effect
(C) support the contention that African American intellectuals in the late nineteenth century were critical of U.S. imperialism
(D) establish that some African American political leaders in the late nineteenth century advocated emigration as an alternative to fighting for the benefits of U.S. citizenship
(E) argue that the definition of citizenship contained in the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is too limited

8 
 8. As it is presented in the passage, the approach to history taken by mainstream U.S. historians of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is most similar to the approach exemplified in which one of the following?

(A) An elected official writes a memo suggesting that because a particular course of action has been successful in the past, the government should continue to pursue that course of action.
(B) A biographer of a famous novelist argues that the precocity apparent in certain of the novelist’s early achievements confirms that her success was attributable to innate talent.
(C) A doctor maintains that because a certain medication was developed expressly for the treatment of an illness, it is the best treatment for that illness.
(D) A newspaper runs a series of articles in order to inform the public about the environmentally hazardous practices of a large corporation.
(E) A scientist gets the same result from an experiment several times and therefore concludes that its chemical reactions always proceed in the observed fashion.

RC Butler 2022  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 330 Date: 17-Aug-2022
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2022 .  Click here for Details

Source:   LSAT Official PrepTest 61   
 Difficulty Level:   700

bv8562 · Answer

Sajjad1994  Please provide the OA for question 8. Thanks!

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

8. As it is presented in the passage, the approach to history taken by mainstream U.S. historians of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is most similar to the approach exemplified in which one of the following?

Difficulty Level:   700-750

Explanation

Mainstream U.S. historians adopted a nationalist approach that consisted of a “glorification of the nation and a focus on the nation-state as a historical force” and resulted in the creation of a shared identity among members of the nation.

A. No.  Repeating past actions is not an example of the nationalist perspective adopted by mainstream U.S. historians.

B.  Yes.   The innate talents of the novelist leading to early achievements is consistent with the nationalist approach that incorporated  “the inevitability of nations, their ‘temperaments,’ their destinies.”

C. No.  Mainstream U.S. historians did not argue that nationalism was the best approach because it was expressly created to explain the history of the United States.

D. No.  The newspaper series’ attempt to inform the public is not consistent with the mainstream U.S. historians’ attempt to glorify the nation-state or a common identity.

E. No.  Mainstream U.S. historians did not believe in nationalism because it had consistently provided the same result in analyzing history.

Answer: B

Afn24 · Answer

17 minutes, All correct except for Q8.

thelastskybender · Answer

P1 : Mainstream Vs AA Historians approach (transnational perspective)
 Reason for different approach: Doubts on fairness of certain aspects
 P2 : Aspects (1) Citizenship 
 Reaction of black leaders 
 P3 : Mainstream U.S. historiography aspects
 P4 : Yet early black historians were involved in the nation building (conclusion)

Main point : Reasons behind the different approach of AA historians and how they still contributed in nation building.

1. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main idea of the passage?

(A) Historians are now recognizing that the major challenge faced by African Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was the struggle for citizenship.
(B) Early African American historians who practiced a transnational approach to history were primarily interested in advancing an emigrationist project.
(C) U.S. historiography in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was characterized by a conflict between African American historians who viewed history from a transnational perspective and mainstream historians who took a nationalist perspective.    
(D) The transnational perspective of early African American historians countered mainstream nationalist historiography, but it was arguably nationalist itself to the extent that it posited a culturally unified diasporic community.    
(E) Mainstream U.S. historians in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries could no longer justify their nationalist approach to history once they were confronted with the transnational perspective taken by African American historians.

Prob2303 · Answer

Can you please provide the explanations for Q 6, Q7 and Q8?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

6. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

Difficulty Level:   Hard

Explanation

Step 1: Identify the Question Type

Hereʼs another Inference question  (“The author…would most likely agree”)  lacking any research or context clues. Once again, use the Scope, Purpose, and Main Idea summaries to evaluate the choices. Eliminate all those that conflict with, distort, or fall outside the scope of the authorʼs point of view. If more than one choice remains, research the passage, using the answer choices as your clues.

Step 2: Research the Relevant Text

No research is possible initially. Instead, turn to the Scope, Purpose, and Main Idea summaries to get a handle on what to look for.

Step 3: Make a Prediction

The correct answer will be one with which the author must agree given what heʼs said in the passage. This author holds that the early African American historians took a transnational view, in part because of their dislike of mainstream historiansʼ strong nationalist focus. In addition, he feels that the African American historians wound up creating a brand of nationalism through their efforts to reconstruct a shared African past for their subjects, who saw themselves as a diaspora “ʻnationʼ without a homeland.”

Step 4: Evaluate the Answer Choices

(B)  is something with which the author would unequivocally agree. The efforts of the African American historians that he characterizes as  “a sort of nation building” (lines 44–45)  were taken on behalf of people who lacked a homeland or sovereign territory.

(A)  is a Distortion. The example from the passage—African Americans—is of a diasporic community seeking to establish a common continent as its cultural homeland. Nothing in the passage suggests that the author feels all members of diasporic communities need share the same country of origin.

(C)  is a 180. Indeed, at  line 55 , the author uses the word “mythical” to describe the African American historiansʼ depiction of a single, shared African origin for African American culture.

(D) ʼs phrase  “most prominent African American historians”  is unsupportable. Indeed, the author never distinguishes any of the historians about whom he writes based on their prominence. Thereʼs simply nothing in the passage that suggests that the author would agree with this statement.

(E)  is Extreme. The offending language is  “entirely different.”  In the passage, the mainstream historians and their African American counterparts had different approaches and goals, but nothing suggests that they covered exclusive subject matter. Almost certainly, both would have written about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and changes to the U.S. Constitution, although they likely would have had different interpretations of those events.

Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

7. The main purpose of the second paragraph of the passage is to

Difficulty Level:   Medium

Explanation

Step 1: Identify the Question Type

This is a Logic Function question asking for the authorʼs purpose in writing paragraph two. Answer this question based on the margin notes beside that paragraph. Remember to predict an answer that explains why the author included the paragraph, not what the paragraph said.

Step 2: Research the Relevant Text

Research the margin notes beside the paragraph. They should reveal, especially within the context of the passage as a whole, the authorʼs purpose in writing the paragraph. As you review the passage, recall that even before reading paragraph two, you anticipated that it would detail one of the reasons (alluded to in paragraph one) for the African American historiansʼ transnational focus. Indeed, paragraph two discussed the first such reason: problems with citizenship.

Step 3: Make a Prediction

Keeping your prediction focused on why the author wrote paragraph two, expect the correct answer to say something along the lines of  “to show one reason that the African American historians took a transnational approach.”

Step 4: Evaluate the Answer Choices

(A)  matches the prediction. This answer responds directly to the call of this Logic Function question.

(B)  states an implication of the fact that the Fourteenth Amendment didnʼt clear up all of the citizenship issues, but proving that wasnʼt the authorʼs reason for writing the paragraph.

(C)  is a Faulty Use of Detail. The African American intellectuals who took issue with American imperialism are discussed in paragraph three of the passage.

(D)  cites a fact from paragraph three (see lines 20–21), but, like  (B) , it misses the authorʼs purpose. Paragraph two was written to explain one reason why the African American historians took the position they did. The debate over emigration was part of the background to their interest in transnational issues.

(E)  goes wrong by making the Fourteenth Amendment central to the purpose of the paragraph. Paragraph two sets out to explain a motivation of the African American historians, not to evaluate of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Question #8 is explained here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/in-contrast- ... l#p3213305

jhalakaggarwal · Answer

Could you please explain question 4 as well please?

In contrast to the mainstream of U.S. historiography during the late n

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In contrast to the mainstream of U.S. historiography during the late n

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