Traditionally, members of a community such as a town or neighborhood s

Traditionally, members of a community such as a
town or neighborhood share a common location and a
sense of necessary interdependence that includes, for
example, mutual respect and emotional support. But as
(5) modern societies grow more technological and
sometimes more alienating, people tend to spend less
time in the kinds of interactions that their communities
require in order to thrive. Meanwhile, technology has
made it possible for individuals to interact via personal
(10) computer with others who are geographically distant.
Advocates claim that these computer conferences, in
which large numbers of participants communicate by
typing comments that are immediately read by other
participants and responding immediately to those
(15) comments they read, function as communities that can
substitute for traditional interactions with neighbors.

What are the characteristics that advocates claim
allow computer conferences to function as
communities? For one, participants often share
(20) common interests or concerns; conferences are
frequently organized around specific topics such as
music or parenting. Second, because these conferences
are conversations, participants have adopted certain
conventions in recognition of the importance of
(25) respecting each others’ sensibilities. Abbreviations are
used to convey commonly expressed sentiments of
courtesy such as “pardon me for cutting in” (“pmfci”)
or “in my humble opinion” (“imho”). Because a
humorous tone can be difficult to communicate in
(30) writing, participants will often end an intentionally
humorous comment with a set of characters that, when
looked at sideways, resembles a smiling or winking
face. Typing messages entirely in capital letters is
avoided, because its tendency to demand the attention
(35) of a reader’s eye is considered the computer equivalent
of shouting. These conventions, advocates claim,
constitute a form of etiquette, and with this etiquette as
a foundation, people often form genuine, trusting
relationships, even offering advice and support during
(40) personal crises such as illness or the loss of a loved
one.

But while it is true that conferences can be both
respectful and supportive, they nonetheless fall short of
communities. For example, conferences discriminate
(45) along educational and economic lines because
participation requires a basic knowledge of computers
and the ability to afford access to conferences. Further,
while advocates claim that a shared interest makes
computer conferences similar to traditional
(50) communities—insofar as the shared interest is
analogous to a traditional community’s shared
location—this analogy simply does not work.
Conference participants are a self-selecting group; they
are drawn together by their shared interest in the topic
(55) of the conference. Actual communities, on the other
hand, are “nonintentional”: the people who inhabit
towns or neighborhoods are thus more likely to exhibit
genuine diversity—of age, career, or personal
interests—than are conference participants. It might be
(60) easier to find common ground in a computer
conference than in today’s communities, but in so
doing it would be unfortunate if conference participants
cut themselves off further from valuable interactions in
their own towns or neighborhoods.

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

(A) Because computer conferences attract participants who share common interests and rely on a number of mutually acceptable conventions for communicating with one another, such conferences can substitute effectively for certain interactions that have become rarer within actual communities.
(B) Since increased participation in computer conferences threatens to replace actual communities, members of actual communities are returning to the traditional interactions that distinguish towns or neighborhoods.
(C) Because participants in computer conferences are geographically separated and communicate only by typing, their interactions cannot be as mutually respectful and supportive as are the kinds of interactions that have become rarer within actual communities.
(D) Although computer conferences offer some of the same benefits that actual communities do, the significant lack of diversity among conference participants makes such conferences unlike actual communities.
(E) Even if access to computer technology is broad enough to attract a more diverse group of people to participate in computer conferences, such conferences will not be acceptable substitutes for actual communities.


2. Based on the passage, the author would be LEAST likely to consider which one of the following a community?

(A) a group of soldiers who serve together in the same battalion and who come from a variety of geographic regions
(B) a group of university students who belong to the same campus political organization and who come from several different socioeconomic backgrounds
(C) a group of doctors who work at a number of different hospitals and who meet at a convention to discuss issues relevant to their profession
(D) a group of teachers who work interdependently in the same school with the same students and who live in a variety of cities and neighborhoods
(E) a group of worshipers who attend and support the same religious institution and who represent a high degree of economic and cultural diversity


3. The author’s statement that “conferences can be both respectful and supportive” (lines 42–43) serves primarily to

(A) counter the claim that computer conferences may discriminate along educational or economic lines
(B) introduce the argument that the conventions of computer conferences constitute a form of social etiquette
(C) counter the claim that computer conferences cannot be thought of as communities
(D) suggest that not all participants in computer conferences may be equally respectful of one another
(E) acknowledge that computer conferences can involve interactions that are similar to those in an actual community


4. Given the information in the passage, the author can most reasonably be said to use which one of the following principles to refute the advocates’ claim that computer conferences can function as communities (line 15)?

(A) A group is a community only if its members are mutually respectful and supportive of one another.
(B) A group is a community only if its members adopt conventions intended to help them respect each other’s sensibilities.
(C) A group is a community only if its members inhabit the same geographic location.
(D) A group is a community only if its members come from the same educational or economic background.
(E) A group is a community only if its members feel a sense of interdependence despite different economic and educational backgrounds.


5. What is the primary function of the second paragraph of the passage?

(A) to add detail to the discussion in the first paragraph of why computer conferences originated
(B) to give evidence challenging the argument of the advocates discussed in the first paragraph
(C) to develop the claim of the advocates discussed in the first paragraph
(D) to introduce an objection that will be answered in the third paragraph
(E) to anticipate the characterization of computer conferences given in the third paragraph


6. Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken one of the author’s arguments in the last paragraph?

(A) Participants in computer conferences are generally more accepting of diversity than is the population at large.
(B) Computer technology is rapidly becoming more affordable and accessible to people from a variety of backgrounds.
(C) Participants in computer conferences often apply the same degree of respect and support they receive from one another to interactions in their own actual communities.
(D) Participants in computer conferences often feel more comfortable interacting on the computer because they are free to interact without revealing their identities.
(E) The conventions used to facilitate communication in computer conferences are generally more successful than those used in actual communities.