Roughly 40 percent of the African American population of the Southern

Question

This passage was adapted from an article written by three economists.

Roughly 40 percent of the African American population of the Southern United States left the South between 1915 and 1960, primarily for the industrial cities of the North. While there was some African American migration to the North during the nineteenth century, most accounts point to 1915 as the start of what historians call the Great Migration. There were at least three catalysts of the Great Migration. First, World War I increased labor demand in the industrial North. Second, the war in Europe cut off immigration, which led many Northern employers to send labor agents to recruit African American labor in the South. Finally, a boll weevil infestation ruined cotton crops and reduced labor demand in much of the South in the 1910s and 1920s.

In short, the Great Migration began in 1915 and not earlier, because it was only then that the North-South income gap became large enough to start such a large-scale migration. Less clear, however, is why migration continued, and even accelerated, in subsequent decades, at the same time that North-South income differences were narrowing.

We propose that once started, migration develops momentum over time as current migration reduces the difficulty and cost of future migration. Economists have typically assumed that people migrate if their expected earnings in the destination exceed those of the origin enough to outweigh the difficulties and one-time costs of migration. Previous research suggests that the difficulties and costs arise from several sources. First, the uncertainty that potential migrants face concerning housing and labor-market conditions in the destination presents a significant hindrance. Second, there is the simple cost in terms of time and money of physically moving from the origin to the destination. Third, new migrants must familiarize themselves with local labor- and housing-market institutions once they arrive; they must find housing and work, and they must often adapt to a new culture or language.

Empirical studies show that during the Great Migration, information was passed through letters that were often read by dozens of people and through conversation when migrants made trips back to their home communities. Thus early migrants provided information about labor- and housing-market conditions to friends and relatives who had not yet made the trip. First-time African American migrants often traveled with earlier migrants returning to the North after a visit to the South, which reduced physical costs. Additionally, previous migrants reduced new migrants' cost of adapting to a new locale and culture by providing them with temporary housing, food, and even credit. Previous migrants also provided a cultural cushion for later migrants, so that they did not have to struggle as hard with their new surroundings.    1 
 1. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

(A) Approximately 40 percent of the African American population left the Southern U.S. between 1915 and 1960—an event historians refer to as the Great Migration.
(B) The Great Migration was triggered by an increased labor demand in the North due to the onset of World War I and a reduced labor demand in the South due to a
boll weevil infestation.
(C) Because earlier migrants helped defray the financial costs of migration for later migrants, African American migration to the North accelerated at a time when income differences were narrowing.
(D) In migration movements, earlier migrants reduce the physical costs of moving and provide a cultural and linguistic cushion for later migrants.
(E) Although the Great Migration was initially triggered by the income differential between the North and South, other factors must be cited in order to explain its duration over several decades.

2 
 2. According to the passage, the Great Migration did not start earlier than 1915 because

(A) the income gap between the North and South was not large enough to induce people to migrate
(B) the cost of living in the North was prohibitively high before World War I
(C) industrial jobs in the North required specialized training unavailable in the South
(D) previous migration had yet to develop sufficient momentum to induce further migration
(E) agricultural jobs in the South paid very well before the boll weevil infestation

3 
 3. The third and fourth paragraphs of the passage function primarily to

(A) cast doubt upon a historical explanation presented in the first paragraph
(B) survey the repercussions of a historical event described in the first two paragraphs
(C) derive a historical model from evidence presented in the first two paragraphs
(D) answer a question raised in the second paragraph about a historical event
(E) provide additional evidence for historical claims made in the first paragraph

4 
 4. The authors of the passage would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Expected financial gains alone may not be a reliable indicator of the likelihood that an individual will migrate.
(B) A complete explanation of the Great Migration must begin with an account of what triggered nineteenth-century migrations to the North.
(C) The Great Migration is not parallel in its broadest patterns to most other known migration movements.
(D) Most large-scale migrations can be adequately explained in terms of the movement of people from lower- to higher-income regions.
(E) Large-scale migrations generally did not occur until the early twentieth century, when significant interregional income differences arose as a result of rapid industrialization.

5 
 5. The primary purpose of the last sentence of the second paragraph is to  
 
(A) indicate why previous research on the Great Migration has been misguided 
(B) extend the authors' explanation of the causes of the Great Migration to include later events 
(C) challenge the traditional view that Northern wages were higher than Southern wages prior to 1915 
(D) present a fact about the Great Migration that the authors seek to explain 
(E) suggest that the Great Migration cannot be explained

6 
 6. The passage provides the most support for which one agree of the following statements?

(A) The highest-paying agricultural jobs in the South prior to 1915 did not pay more than the lowest-paying manufacturing jobs in the North. 
(B) The overall cost of migrating from the South to the North in the twentieth century was lower for the earliest migrants because there were more of the highest-paying jobs available for them to choose from. 
(C) The North—South income gap increased around 1915 because of the increase in demand for labor in the North and the decrease in demand for labor in the South. 
(D) The average wages in the South, though dramatically lower than the average wages in the North, held roughly steady for all workers during the 1910s and 1920s. 
(E) Most migrants in the Great Migration made at least one trip back to the South to provide help and information to other people who were considering migrating as well.

7 
 7. Which one of the following, if true, would provide the most support for the authors' analysis of the Great Migration?

(A) The average amount of time it took new migrants to find employment in the North grew at a steady rate between 1915 and 1960. 
(B) In general, communities of African Americans in the North consisted largely of individuals who shared a common geographic place of origin in the South. 
(C) Housing prices in the North fluctuated between high and low extremes from 1915 to 1960, while housing prices in the South remained relatively constant. (D) To maintain a steady rate of recruitment after World War I, Northern employers had to send more and more labor agents to recruit employees in the South. (E) There was a large-scale reverse migration of African Americans back to Southern locations later in the twentieth century.

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 42 Date: 01-Mar-2023
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

Source:   LSAT Official PrepTest 80   
 Difficulty Level:   600-650

parasgoyal1802 · Answer

can you please explain q7. i marked option d

Weaver07 · Answer

option d is a paraphrased statement which lends nothing new to our information or strengthens it, therefore at best it's a neutral statement, therefore wrong.

if you want me to substantiate on it do reply, i'd be happy to help.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

7. Which one of the following, if true, would provide the most support for the authors' analysis of the Great Migration?

Difficulty Level:   700

The question is asking for a new piece of information that would strengthen the authors’ discussion of the Great Migration. The credited response will be consistent with the Bottom Line.

A. No.  If the average amount of time for new migrants to find employment grew, that would be an additional obstacle for later migrants, which is inconsistent with the authors’ contention that migration accelerated because migration was less difficult for later migrants.

B.  Yes.   This would contribute to the ability of early migrants to pass information to new migrants, provide cultural cushion, and reduce physical costs by accompanying new migrants.

C. No.  If housing prices were unpredictable, that would be an additional obstacle for later migrants, which is inconsistent with the authors’ contention that migration accelerated because migration was less difficult for later migrants.

D. No.  While recruitment is listed as one of three catalysts of the Great Migration, the authors do not discuss it as a factor sustaining the migration.

E. No.  A reverse migration would weaken the authors’ contention that migration accelerated during the Great Migration.

Answer: B

asmba · Answer

Sajjad1994  can you please share OE for Q4?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

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

Difficulty Level:   Medium

Explanation

The credited response will be the statement best supported by evidence in the passage.

A.  Yes.   The passage indicates in the second paragraph that migration accelerated even when income differences were narrowing. The authors of the passage explained in the fourth paragraph that difficulties and costs of migration were diminished during the Great Migration, encouraging migration even though expected financial gains were lower.

B. No.  The authors do not discuss what triggered nineteenth century migrations in their explanation of the Great Migration, so there’s no support for the idea that they insist on the inclusion of those triggers.

C. No.  The authors discuss migration movements in generalin the third paragraph and the authors draw no distinction between the Great Migration and other migration movements.

D. No.  This answer choice is too extreme. The authors discuss multiple factors that affect large-scale migrations, including information about the labor- and housing market conditions and physical costs, so the authors would not agree that movement of people from lower- to higher-income regions would be an adequate explanation of most large-scale migrations.

E. No.  The passage states that the Great Migration of African Americans occurred in the early twentieth century, but there is no support for the idea that other migrations did not before that particular migration.

Answer: A

Oppenheimer1945 · Answer

Sajjad1994 ,
OE for Q5 & Q7)

Q5) should be B and Q7) should be D

7) In general, communities of African Americans in the North consisted largely of individuals who shared a common geographic place of origin in the South. 
Where in the passage this thing is mentioned? You above explanation is flawed.

Oppenheimer1945 · Answer

For Q6)
Read the first para, the answer is there:

There were at least three catalysts of the Great Migration. First, World War I increased labor demand in the industrial North. Second, the war in Europe cut off immigration, which led many Northern employers to send labor agents to recruit African American labor in the South. Finally, a boll weevil infestation ruined cotton crops and reduced labor demand in much of the South in the 1910s and 1920s.

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Akshay97 · Answer

IMO The explanation is not flawed, Lets Consider both options for Q7 - Option B - African american communities originating from the same place corroborates the author's point as stated in last paragraph - "First-time African American migrants often traveled with earlier migrants returning to the North after a visit to the South" Option D - Even if there was demand due to world war 1 and the northern employers had to send Agents for recruitment, This does not explain whether the migration actually took place, since there are problems associated in migration as stated in 2nd last paragraph. Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm also learning

mailolo · Answer

Q4) b) But the author did discuss what triggered the Great migration. The 3 catalysts were the triggers?

ParamjitDasGMAT · Answer

Hi  mailolo , yes the author does mention the triggers. This, however, doesn't mean that "an(y) account of the Great Migration  MUST  begin with the catalysts". In general, for  inference-style  questions, we are looking for a  mild/diplomatic  option. A strongly worded option is almost always infeasible to defend.

Hope it helps

ishita1109 · Answer

In question 6 , why it cannot be E option?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Well.  E  is too extreme. While the passage mentions that first-time migrants often traveled with earlier migrants returning from a visit, the passage does not support that most migrants made such a trip. Hence,  E  is incorrect.

Roughly 40 percent of the African American population of the Southern

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Roughly 40 percent of the African American population of the Southern

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