Official Answers and Explanations
1) Why does the author talk about libertarians? To describe an ideal that tends to conflict with equality, the principle behind the action in the question. Libertarians would probably therefore attack the plan precisely because it was promoting equality. (B) says the same.
(A): Opposite. Libertarians as the author describes them think just the opposite.
(B): The correct answer
(C): Opposite. The author clearly thinks that libertarians would have an opinion on an action that runs counter to their principles.
(D): Distortion. Though they‘d support private enterprise, they wouldn‘t support private enterprise promoting an ideal contrary to their own.
(E): There would be no element of ‗support‘, as described above.
2) The author talks about the American public‘s ideology throughout the passage, but most thoroughly in the last paragraph. When hitting the answer choices, start with the most likely paragraph and work from there. In this case, (A) rewards you immediately for the prediction: The point of the last paragraph is that America is bound by several more-or-less equal ideals, a view that (A) would certainly challenge.
(A): The correct answer
(B): Opposite. The author mentions this in ¶6.
(C): Opposite. This is also suggested in ¶6 by the ―commitment to the disadvantaged.‖
(D): Out of Scope. Increased tolerance of minority views would have no effect on the author‘s argument about balanced American ideologies.
(E): Opposite. This would strengthen the author‘s views.
3) First keep track of all the negatives in the question! You're actually looking for the one true statement. Choice (B) summarizes the point of ¶6 that pushes towards equality lead to backlashes.
(A): Opposite. The author would argue that fervour for equality during the Civil War would lead to a backlash against it rather than an increase in support for it.
(B): The correct answer
(C): Opposite. The point of ¶4 is that passion can exist equally on both sides of the debate.
(D): Out of Scope. The author mentions special interests in ¶2 but doesn‘t argue that they always have too much power. In fact, they seem to fluctuate in power and identity depending on the dominating ideal of the time.
(E): Out of scope. This cannot be inferred from the passage.
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