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Re: My objective is to analyze certain forms of knowledge, not in terms of [#permalink]
Quote:
2. According to the passage, which of the following best describes the relationship between law and power?
(A) Law is the protector of power.
(B) Law is the source of power.
(C) Law sets bounds to power.
(D) Law is a product of power.
(E) Law is a stabilizer of power.


Quote:
It seems to me that power must be understood as the multiplicity of force relations that are immanent in the social sphere; as the process that, through ceaseless struggle and confrontation, transforms, strengthens, or reverses them; as the support that these force relations find in one another, or on the contrary, the disjunctions and contradictions that isolate them from one another; and lastly, as the strategies in which they take effect, whose general design or institutional crystallization is embodied in the state apparatus, in the formulation of the law, in the various social hegemonies.


Read the above paragraph.

From this we can infer that Law is a product of power.

Therefor D.
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Re: My objective is to analyze certain forms of knowledge, not in terms of [#permalink]
Quote:
3. Which of the following methods is NOT used extensively by the author in describing his own conception of power?
(A) Restatement of central ideas
(B) Provision of concrete examples
(C) Analysis and classification
(D) Comparison and contrast
(E) Statement of cause and effect



If you have read closely, you will find that no exaples have been presented by author while defining 'Power'.

Therefore it is a straight B.

IMO B
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Re: My objective is to analyze certain forms of knowledge, not in terms of [#permalink]
can some one explain Q 7 ,?
How can we infer choice C from the passage. How is choice B incorrect.
Also it took me 15 mins and still got 2 wrong. I didn't quite understand this passage very well. How can I improve on my timings and accuracy.
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Re: My objective is to analyze certain forms of knowledge, not in terms of [#permalink]
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Fairly abstract passage.

Overall: the author seeks to articulate his definition of power, the concept of power and its forms.
P1: Define objective
P2: Define Power
P3: State how power should be interpreted and sourced
P4: summate author's view on power

Q1
In P1 through to P2 the author says what he does not define power to be ( "i do not mean..") and then defines what his interpretation of power is to be. This is most likely to set the foreground and clarify the many interpretations of power.
A is incorrect because there are no instances of "self-serving" or "confusing" uses of the term, there are merely different interpretations
B is incorrect because the author states his interpretation. He doesn't establish a compromise.
C is incorrect. He clarifies. He doesn't define power to increase comprehension.
D is incorrect. We aren't told of the chronology of Power.
E is correct as it is clear in his statement "By power, I do not mean..." that he is clarifying his own definition of power and thus clarifying to avoid any misrepresentation.

Q2
The answer is in P2
Don't be thrown off by "power" is "the multiplicity" i.e. power is the multiple of.
We are told, confusingly, that power must be understood as the "multiplicity" or multiple of a bunch of forces and understood as the "strategies in which the (forces) take effect... in the formulation of the law"
Power is used in formulating law,thus, it is a product.
A is incorrect because the little mention of law says nothing about protecting
B is probably the second best answer. The reason why It can confuse you into thinking it's a source of power is because of the first sentence of P2, but you need to read the last semi-colon statement to realise that power is used in the formulation of law i,e, an input into the calculation of law
C is incorrect because the little mention of law says nothing about setting bounds. Law is mentioned in concert with power's influence
D gets this right
E is incorrect - again, we cannot deduce this

Q3
A - the central Idea is fairly complex, but the author actually does restate it quite a bit. E.g. Last sentence of P1, P2 and p3. Incorrect
B - the reason this passage is hard to dissect is because there's no concrete evidence/ examples. Correct
C - P1 sentence 1 clearly states the author's intention is analysis. Incorrect
D - contrasts and contradictions are mentioned in p2. Incorrect
E - a Cause-effect statement is given in P2 and P3 thus Incorrect

Q4
A - we cannot conclude this. There's no evidence to suggest corruption. Incorrect
B - we know nothing of virtue. Incorrect
C - no. We are briefly told that the author analyzes forms of knowledge in terms of power. We cannot deduce that to love knowledge is to love power... Incorrect
D is correct because we are told that social hegemonies are one form in which the general design or "institutional crystallization" of power is embodied. In contrast, E states that Power depends on people. This is why D, not E, is correct.
E - is incorrect because "the foundation of power" is not dependent on "the health of the people". Social hegemonies are merely one facet of power, not the sole facet.

Q5
The question asks about the author's attitude towards the various kinds of behaviours employed by social structures essentially.

Throughout the passage the author mentions social structures in his analysis of power, but he really does not convey any strong sentiment towards it.

Based on this, we can eliminate
A - because the author is neither concerned nor sympathetic about social institutions - he merely cites them as a factor
C - the author is neither suspicious nor cautious
D - disturbed should really write-off this answer. HE barely talks about social structures in detail.
E - One could argue that the author is somewhat vague (Wistful), but he isn't meditative. Meditative implies deep thinking about a particular issue. The author is not this.

B is correct because the author is scientific in that he mentions social structures to support his analysis and he is detached in that he does not convey any strong sentiment at all towards social structures.

Q6
Sentence 1 of P3 should give an indication of the right answer.
This is more abstract.

Essentially we are told that power is influenced by a bunch of factors of differing nature e.g. social structures and law. The author continually states that power is the multiplicity of force relations and essentially an amalgamation of these forces.

So, "states of power are temporary (Transient) because"
A -

A is correct as we are told in the last sentence that "if power at times seems to be permanent (intransient) then it is because the overall effect that emerges from all these mobilities (forces) is a concatenation...that seeks to arrest their movement"...
Thus, should simply imply that states (or forces) of power are transient because of the individual nature of each mobility.

B is incorrect because we are told "power is everywhere" and for something to be transient it needs to be mobile, not "rigid"
C is incorrect because its less about the source, more about the total concatenation of the sources
D is incorrect because the forces affecting power aren't necessarily complex. In fact the author, in the second sentence of P4, concludes that power is permanent..."simply because".
E is incorrect. The "concatenation that seeks to arrest their movement" is what makes power intransient.

Q7
A is incorrect - the last sentence tells us that "it is the name that one attributes...in a particular society" - particular society implies that power is different in each society and thus social forces could be different as well. Incorrect
B - we cannot deduce anything regarding social progress without information on this. Incorrect
C - power is inevitable, but may vary by way of influence from each social force. This is told to us by "power is everywhere", thus the underlying forces, specifically social forces, are everywhere and thus inevitable.
D is incorrect - we cannot deduce anything on this.
E is incorrect - we cannot deduce that social forces can be moderated in particular states more than others.
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Re: My objective is to analyze certain forms of knowledge, not in terms of [#permalink]
Got 1 wrong; 6/7 correct. I've read and worked with variety of passages to enhance my RCs, but this passage was pretty hard to comprehend.. I only understood like about 2/3 of the passage.
For me, the main takeaway from this passage was "Power is everywhere and Power comes from everywhere." Having this in mind, I attacked the questions and got 6 correct out of 7.
I got Question 2 wrong but it was silly of me to get that wrong...

Starting from Question 4, I told myself to just remember the gist of the passage - "power is everywhere. power comes from everywhere," since this passage was brutal for me (for those who understood this passage 100%, I admire you.)

4. With which of the following statement would the author be most likely to agree? [Remember the GIST]
(A) Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
(B) The highest proof of virtue is to possess boundless power without abusing it.
(C) To love knowledge is to love power.
(D) It is from the people and their deeds that power springs. --> contender: this seems like the best choice that relates to the gist
(E) The health of the people as a state is the foundation on which all their power depends

5. The author’s attitude toward the various kinds of compulsion employed by social institutions is best described as
(A) concerned and sympathetic
(B) scientific and detached --> contender: it seems like most of the passage was about the various compulsions employed by social institutions and the author's tone was just very neutral and objective
(C) suspicious and cautious
(D) reproachful and disturbed
(E) meditative and wistful

6. According to the passage, states of power are transient because of the [Remember the gist]
(A) differing natures and directions of the forces that create them --> contender: the last paragraph helped me out
(B) rigid structural framework in which they operate
(C) unique source from which they emanate
(D) pervasive nature and complexity of the mechanisms by which they operate --> I was half and half with A and D, but remembering the gist, A seemed to be the better choice for me; also I didn't find that the mechanisms affecting power was "complex"
(E) concatenation that seeks to arrest their movement

7. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes the conflict among social forces to be [ remember the gist: power is everywhere]
(A) essentially the same from one society to another even though its outward manifestation may seem different
(B) usually the result of misunderstandings that impede social progress
(C) an inevitable feature of the social order of any state --> contender: relates to the gist and I also got helped from reading the 3rd paragraph
(D) wrongly blamed for disrupting the stability of society
(E) best moderated in states that possess a strong central government

I usually don't work on the RCs solely depending on the gist but this passage was hard for me so :(
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Re: My objective is to analyze certain forms of knowledge, not in terms of [#permalink]
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Re: My objective is to analyze certain forms of knowledge, not in terms of [#permalink]
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