In his study Pau Hana: Plantation Life and Labor in Hawaiif1835-1920

Question

ᅠᅠIn his study  Pau Hana: Plantation Life and Labor in Hawaiif1835-1920 , Ronald Takaki calls attention to similarities between Hawaii prior to the Second World War and the pre—Civil War South. Both were plantation cultures dominated by White ruling classes that enjoyed monopolized access to government power. Both rested on single-crop, export agricultures employing a racially distinct labor force that was either enslaved or, as in Hawaii, only nominally free. Takaki makes clear from the outset, however, that differences between these two plantation societies are no less significant than their similarities. The culture of the sugar plantation in Hawaii was a product of the post-Civil War era. Although Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and Filipinos all embarked for Hawaii under economic duress, there were elements of choice and aspiration in their migration; and although they endured circumstances similar to those of African slaves in the pre-Civil War South, the totality of their experience remained more like that of immigrants to the industrializing North during the post-Civil War era.

ᅠᅠTakaki sees the key to this experience in an emerging sense of class identity within the Hawaiian labor force, superseding and transcending (although not obliterating) ethnicity. Crucial steps in his construction of this sequence are the plantation strikes of 1909 and 1920, described as revolts against paternalism. Not only were low wages at issue, but also enforced dependency under planter control in the villages and the prevalence of "good behavior" bonus systems in lieu of a generalized wage scale. In 1909 the Japanese, by then the largest single component of the labor force, went on strike by themselves, without attempting to enlist other ethnic groups. In 1920, by contrast, there were 8,300 Filipino and Japanese strikers—77 percent of the entire plantation work force. Both strikes failed in the formal sense, yet both led to major concessions from the planters. In Takaki's interpretation, these mass engagements registered the emerging dominance of a shared class identification over the plural and divisive identities imposed by separate ethnic histories. Thus 1920 pointed predictively to the successful unionization movement immediately after the Second World War that would bring planter hegemony in the islands substantially to a close.    1 
1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about Chinese and Korean laborers in Hawaii in 1920 ?

A. They were not called upon to join the plantation strike.
B. They made up less than a quarter of the plantation labor force.
C. They had arrived more recently than had Japanese and Filipino laborers.
D. Their decision not to strike was arrived at through collective action.
E. Their actions were motivated more by political than by economic considerations.

2 
2. The author mentions all of the following as issues prompting strikes against the Hawaiian planters in the early twentieth century EXCEPT

A. low wages
B. the lack of a generalized wage scale
C. attempts to block the unionization of plantation laborers
D. the limited autonomy afforded laborers in their villages
E. incentives designed by planters to encourage obedience among the laborers

3 
3. Which of the following best describes the organization of the second paragraph of the passage?

A. Two views are contrasted, reasons for and against each are summarized, and one of the two views is affirmed.
B. An observation is cited, specific historical examples are discussed, and a later development supporting the observation is alluded to.
C. A hypothesis is advanced, confirming evidence is supplied, and a weakness in the hypothesis is examined and dismissed.
D. A chronology is provided and is used to resolve apparent discrepancies between two interpretations of an event.
E. Two historical events are analyzed, and a commonly accepted interpretation of them is disputed.

4 
4. According to the passage, an essential difference between the experience of the Hawaiian labor force prior to the Second World War and that of slaves in the pre—Civil War South resulted from the fact that Hawaiian laborers

A. were employed in the harvesting of an export crop
B. had more direct access to political power
C. were able to successfully establish independent residential villages
D. were employed in industry as well as in agriculture
E. had some degree of choice in leaving their homelands

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tashrif39 · Answer

any explanation for question 4?

lavanya.18 · Answer

Can someone explain question 3?

lavanya.18 · Answer

It is mentioned that their experience as more like immigrants and they came to Hawaai because of economic reasons. So, that means they had a degree of choice.

SergejK · Answer

Question 3:
A: Can't be correct as no 2 views are contrasted in the 2nd paragraph.
B: Is correct as it explains the experience (the observation) of the immigrants in Hawaii, sites examples to explain the experience (strikes), and a later development supporting the observation (successful unionization movement).
C: There is not one single hypothesis that is advanced, the passage does not push a specific narrative. It compares two historic events with each other, based on a specific literature, however, it stays neutral in its interpretation. The 2nd paragraph simply explains why in Hawaii it was rather an experience of immigrants than the experience of slaves.
D: There are no 2 interpretations presented, only the similarities and differences of 2 historic event compared. And even that is not the main focus of the passage, as it focusses mainly on Hawaii. The 2nd paragraph itself only focusses on explaining the experience of Hawaii immigrant and how it lead to unionization.
E: Nothing is compared and nothing is disputed in second paragraph.

desertEagle · Answer

The culture of the sugar plantation in Hawaii was a product of the post-Civil War era. Although Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and Filipinos all embarked for Hawaii under economic duress, there were elements of choice and aspiration in their migration;

desertEagle · Answer

observation
Takaki sees the key to this experience in an emerging sense of class identity within the Hawaiian labor force, superseding and transcending (although not obliterating) ethnicity.

specific historical examples are discussed
Crucial steps in his construction of this sequence are the plantation strikes of 1909 and 1920, described as revolts against paternalism. Not only were low wages at issue, but also enforced dependency under planter control in the villages and the prevalence of "good behavior" bonus systems in lieu of a generalized wage scale. In 1909 the Japanese, by then the largest single component of the labor force, went on strike by themselves, without attempting to enlist other ethnic groups. In 1920, by contrast, there were 8,300 Filipino and Japanese strikers—77 percent of the entire plantation work force. Both strikes failed in the formal sense, yet both led to major concessions from the planters. In Takaki's interpretation, these mass engagements registered the emerging dominance of a shared class identification over the plural and divisive identities imposed by separate ethnic histories.

a  later development  supporting the observation is  alluded  to.
Thus 1920 pointed  predictively  to the successful  unionization movement immediately after the Second World War  that would bring planter hegemony in the islands substantially to a close.

lavanya.18 · Answer

Yeah! Now I understood. Thanks a ton! 
I think I rushed and didn't give time to all the options. When I reread the second paragraph and all the given options, it was quite obvious that I should choose B as the answer.

Ambanis · Answer

In Question 1 why option A is not correct?

dd2151 · Answer

can someone explain 1 please

In his study Pau Hana: Plantation Life and Labor in Hawaiif1835-1920

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In his study Pau Hana: Plantation Life and Labor in Hawaiif1835-1920

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