Two divergent definitions have dominated sociologists' discussions of

Passage Map:
Para 1: Two definitions of the nature of ethnicity:
1) based on ancestry and culture
2) based on ethnic groups being considered as interest groups
A third definition: ethnicity as a process in which preexisting communal bonds and common cultural attributes are adapted for instrumental purposes according to changing real-life situations.
Para 2: cities example of Native Americans (lays emphasis on ethnic feelings- participation in politics)
Para 3: Another example- Mexican Americans – (emphasizing on ancestral heritage). Combined ethnic and contemporary symbols

Questions

1. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

(A) In their definitions of the nature of ethnicity, sociologists have underestimated the power of the primordial human need to belong. - passage doesn't say that this has been underestimated

(B) Ethnicity is best defined as a dynamic process that combines cultural components with shared political and economic interests. - Correct. the passage describes it as a dynamic process - combining political (US Example) and economic (interest groups) interests.

(C) In the United States in the twentieth century, ethnic groups have begun to organize in order to further their political and economic interests. - United states case is given as example; passage as whole does not talk about this.

(D) Ethnicity in the United States has been significantly changed by the Civil Rights movement. - Does not highlight this at all

(E) The two definitions of ethnicity that have dominated sociologists' discussions are incompatible and should be replaced by an entirely new approach. - too strong, the author states a new dynamic approach that takes changes into account, is better but does suggest that the previous ones are incompatible, rather, it is stated that even these difinitions are useful but not as good as the dynamic one.


2. Which of the following statements about the first two definitions of ethnicity discussed in the first paragraph is supported by the passage?

(A) One is supported primarily by sociologists, and the other is favored by members of ethnic groups.

(B) One emphasizes the political aspects of ethnicity, and the other focuses on the economic aspects.

(C) One is the result of analysis of United States populations, and the other is the result of analysis of European populations.

(D) One focuses more on the ancestral components of ethnicity than does the other. - This can be directly inferred from the primary purpose.

(E) One focuses more on immigrant groups than does the other.


3. The author of the passage refers to Native American people in the second paragraph in order to provide an example of

(A) the ability of membership in groups based on shared ancestry and culture to satisfy an essential human need - Though the political movement was based on a common ancestry that brought the natives together, there wasn't an essential need to satisfy.

(B) how ethnic feelings have both motivated and been strengthened by political activity - correct.

(C) how the Civil Rights movement can help promote solidarity among United States ethnic groups - CRM is mentioned in third para

(D) how participation in the political system has helped to improve a group's economic situation - this example talks about ethnic feelings and not economic interest

(E) the benefits gained from renewed study of ethnic history and culture - does not describe benefits described from STUDYING it



4. The passage supports which of the following statements about the Mexican American community?

(A) In the 1960's the Mexican American community began to incorporate the customs of another ethnic group in the United States into the observation of its own ethnic holidays. - The passage states" " Mexican Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo as fervently as many Irish American people embrace St. Patrick's Day (both are major holidays in the countries of origin), with both holidays having been reinvented in the context of the United States and linked to ideals, symbols, and heroes of the United States". Nowhere is it stated that the Mexican Americans (MAs) incorporated customs of another ethnic group into the observation of its own ethnic holidays. It just says that MAs celebrate the Mexican festival Cinco de Mayo in US in a form that has been reinvented in the context of US (this does not imply that they have adopted customs)

(B) In the 1960's Mexican American community groups promoted ethnic solidarity primarily in order to effect economic change. - not mentioned.

(C) In the 1960's leaders of the Mexican American community concentrated their efforts on promoting a renaissance of ethnic history and culture. - not mentioned and not even indirectly implied

(D) In the 1960's members of the Mexican American community were becoming increasingly concerned about the issue of voting rights. - The passage states: "In the 1960's, Mexican Americans formed community-based political groups that emphasized ancestral heritage as a way of mobilizing constituents. Such emerging issues as immigration and voting rights gave Mexican American advocacy groups the means by which to promote ethnic solidarity". - The Mexican Americans used emerging issues such as voting right to emphasize ancestral heritage and promote ethnic solidarity. MAs concentrated on this emerging issue>> promoted ethnic solidarity to it>> means they brought together all people concerned about this and promoted ethnicity.

(E) In the 1960's the Mexican American community had greater success in mobilizing constituents than did other ethnic groups in the United States. - no such comparison is talked about



5. Which of the following types of ethnic cultural expression is discussed in the passage?

(A) The retelling of traditional narratives

(B) The wearing of traditional clothing

(C) The playing of traditional music

(D) The celebration of traditional holidays - last paragraph very clearly cites this; the others can be eliminated easily.

(E) The preparation of traditional cuisine



6. Information in the passage supports which of the following statements about many European ethnic groups in the nineteenth-century United States?

The below statement from the passage is sufficient to guide us to the correct answer choice for this one:
Like European ethnic groups in the nineteenth-century United States, late-twentieth-century Mexican American leaders combined ethnic with contemporary civic symbols

(A) They emphasized economic interests as a way of mobilizing constituents behind certain issues.

(B) They conceived of their own ethnicity as being primordial in nature.

(C) They created cultural traditions that fused United States symbols with those of their countries of origin.- Correct.

(D) They de-emphasized the cultural components of their communities in favor of political interests.

(E) They organized formal community groups designed to promote a renaissance of ethnic history and culture.



7. The passage suggests that in 1968 Henry Cisneros most likely believed that

Statement from the last para: In 1968 Henry Cisneros, then mayor of San Antonio, Texas, cited Mexican leader Benito Juarez as a model for Mexican Americans in their fight for contemporary civil rights

(A) many Mexican Americans would respond positively to the example of Benito Juárez - he cited Benito as a model for their fight means he believed that this model will be successful and will be perceived positively. If you suggest something, you believe that you are suggesting the correct thing and since you believe that it will be successful, you also tend to believe that your suggestion will be perceived positively.

(B) many Mexican Americans were insufficiently educated in Mexican history

(C) the fight for civil rights in the United States had many strong parallels in both Mexican and Irish history

(D) the quickest way of organizing community-based groups was to emulate the tactics of Benito Juárez

(E) Mexican Americans should emulate the strategies of Native American political leaders

Question 3

Recall precisely what question 3 is asking us:


Why does the author offer Native American people as an example in the second paragraph?

As you point out, the author kicks off this paragraph by presenting Native American participation as an example of "preexisting communal bonds being adapted for instrumental purposes."

However, the rest of this paragraph is not simply providing an "example of the same," as you suggest. The second sentence is actually spelling out the inverse:

"Besides leading Native Americans to participate more actively in politics...this movement also evoked increased interest in tribal history and traditional culture."

And the overall purpose of this second paragraph becomes clear in the very last sentence:

"Cultural and instrumental components of ethnicity are not mutually exclusive, but rather reinforce one another."

The point of paragraph 2 is that cultural and instrumental components of ethnicity function like a two-way street. Communal cultural attributes are adapted for instrumental purposes according to changing real-life situations, and instrumental actions lead to increased interest in traditional culture. They "are not mutually exclusive, but rather reinforce one another."

Now, let's look at (B) one more time:


The author is using the example of Native Americans as an example of this mutual reinforcement. That's why we keep (B).

OK, now let's revisit choice (A):


Your reasoning for keeping this choice is that the author "tries define ethnicity as a process in which communal bonds and common cultural bonds are adapted to meet a purpose which can help meeting some need or solve a real life problem for that ethnic group."

However, choice (A) does not refer to solving a real life problem for Native Americans. Choice (A) says that the author refers to Native Americans in order to exemplify the ability of membership in groups based on shared ancestry and culture to satisfy an essential human need.

"Satisfy an essential human need" is not the same thing as "solve a real life problem." This distinction can be made simply based on the words themselves. But we can also tell that this choice is leading us down the wrong path by stepping back and recalling where the concept of "essential human need" fits into the structure of this passage:

• The author uses paragraph 1 to introduce two divergent definitions regarding the nature of ethnicity. One emphasizes "an essential need for belonging," while the other emphasizes shared interest, such as economic position. The purpose of the first paragraph is to present the author's overall thesis: that neither of these definitions fully captures the dynamic and changing aspects of ethnicity in the U.S.
• The purpose of paragraph 2, as clarified above, is NOT to show how cultural membership can satisfy an essential human need. That would put the author on one side of the "two divergent definitions" already presented, and we know that the author does not favor either side exclusively.

The purpose of paragraph 2, again, is to illustrate how cultural and instrumental components of ethnicity reinforce one another.

Choice (A) contradicts this purpose, and that's why we eliminate it.

I hope this helps!
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hi carcass,

i was really lost while reading...

spent 6 mins on reading....8 mins in answering.

i did all correct but was not sure in 3 of the questions ..still got them right.

seems still lacking a lot in speed and understanding.

how much time do you suggest to finish this type of passage in exam?

13 mins
All correct
the passage was not at all dense rather it's idea was very clear right from the 1st sentence.
the author then defines ethnicity in his own terms and goes on to present 2 examples that encompasses his definitions.
i took around 6 minutes to understand the passage.

Took 20 mins .... I found this passage very confusing.... Can you please explain the ans of question 4.

We have no clue about or info for the other answers in question 4. So D is the best: it is the only cited answer



The secret is just to read with attention and do not get lost

Hope this helps
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Hi carcass,

Great passage indeed. Can you provide OEs for each question. That will help us to know what went wrong with our thinking.

Passage is sub 700 level (upper 650 level).
took close to 14 min. 1 incorrect.

Explain the answer for question 1.
why the answer is B though it is narrow choice after all because ('Ethnicity is best defined as a dynamic process that combines cultural components with shared political and economic interests.') it uses 'best'.
please clarify carcass.

The passage talked about Benito being a model ...
Therefore, it is safe to assume a role model is someone who is viewed as a positive figure
Hence people respond positively.

The passage never talked about the similarity between Mexican civil rights movement and Irish's
It only said both holidays were reinvented in an American way.

So the answer is (A)

Took 14 minutes 2 incorrect!
The passage may be a bit tough because of the details but the mail outline was quite prominent and the questions were also quite straightforward .I think the questions were mostly 600 level.
Sir would you like to bump here a bit ! Seems we all are stuck in Question 3
GMATNinja

Go through the highlighted sentence. It states that "late-twentieth-century Mexican American leaders combined ethnic with contemporary civic symbol" followed an approach similar to that followed by "European ethnic groups ". What was the approach that they both followed? "....combined ethnic with contemporary civic symbols" If you did not get what this means , try to relate it with the next highlighted sentence where an illustration of same is presented- celebration of holidays in their countries of origin. -------> They created cultural traditions that included US symbols (leaders or important figures of that time) with those (the traditions) of their countries of origin.
This is what Q6 is expecting from your understanding.

Personal tip:
The transitions of 'Like' and 'Unlike' are used to bring out comparisons- something that is likely to be tested in a RC question. Pay attention to comparisons in RC.

Hope that helps.
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P.S. I have seen this passage for almost 5 times in 2 months :p No offence to anyone though!

You're seeing this passage because you might have subscribed to the verbal forum; any new post in any topic will make that topic appear in your notifications. I am wondering why would you click the link of same passage even the second time it pops up in your notification, unless you could not recognize the first few words of the passage.... Nevertheless, it will benefit a vast portion of readers, if not you.
No offence.
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For those of you have, specifically necessity, to inquire me for a question: let me know.

But please guys do not ask me to explain ALL the questions because would almost impossible. Not because I do not know, rather you do not need carcass. You need a tutor.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much
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AjiteshArun carcass
In Q1 E is wrong both the definition are compatible to some extent. am I correct ?
In Q4 I ended up choosing C though I can clearly see D is correct now. but I don't understand how C is wrong or a trap ?

1. Possibly. The passage mentions that both approaches are "divergent" and "different", but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are completely incompatible. I'd remove option E because: (a) the other two approaches are not particular important, and should not form most of the answer to a primary purpose question and (b) the author does not say that the other two approaches should be replaced (the author actually calls both of them "useful").

4. Option C says:

In the 1960's leaders of the Mexican American community concentrated their efforts on promoting a renaissance of ethnic history and culture.

This is the part of the passage that we are interested in:

In the 1960's, Mexican Americans formed community-based political groups that emphasized ancestral heritage as a way of mobilizing constituents. Such emerging issues as immigration and voting rights gave Mexican American advocacy groups the means by which to promote ethnic solidarity. Like European ethnic groups in the nineteenth-century United States, late-twentieth-century Mexican American leaders combined ethnic with contemporary civic symbols.

From this we can see three important things: (a) Mexican Americans (in general, as there is no mention of leaders) emphasized ancestral heritage as a way to mobilize constituents, (b) there is no support for the word renaissance, and (c) the only mention of Mexican-American leaders is towards the end (they "combined ethnic with contemporary civic symbols").
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6. Information in the passage supports which of the following statements about many European ethnic groups in the nineteenth-century United States?

The below statement from the passage is all we need to answer this question:



(C) They created cultural traditions that fused United States symbols with those of their countries of origin.

They didn't "create" cultural traditions! I was about to choose this answer, but I thought it was a trap because of the word create. In the passage, in the parenthesis, it clearly says that these holidays were "reinvented." So I thought this was a trap answer.

GMATNinja SajjadAhmad Am I overthinking this? Am I bringing my critical reasoning brain into RC and reading too critically?

(E) They organized formal community groups designed to promote a renaissance of ethnic history and culture.

(1) Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

(A) In their definitions of the nature of ethnicity, sociologists have underestimated the power of the primordial human need to belong.

(B) Ethnicity is best defined as a dynamic process that combines cultural components with shared political and economic interests.

I missed this question because for some reason I always miss Primary Purpose questions I thought "best defined" was pretty strong language. I think (B) could reasonably be implied, but "best defined" was a little too certain for my liking, so I eliminated it.

(C) In the United States in the twentieth century, ethnic groups have begun to organize in order to further their political and economic interests.

carcass SajjadAhmad GMATNinja Quick question for you guys, can we eliminate (C) purely on the verb tense of "have begun"? Since we are talking about the past, shouldn't this just be "began"?

(D) Ethnicity in the United States has been significantly changed by the Civil Rights movement.

(E) The two definitions of ethnicity that have dominated sociologists' discussions are incompatible and should be replaced by an entirely new approach.

Please, humble suggestion, do not start to eliminate answer choices based on grammar rather than logic and the inner coherence of the passage.

What you assumed is really on the razor edge.

The GMAT passages are soooo tight that "have begun" would support the answer choice. Turns out, that answer choices somehow could be related from logic and the "big picture" standing point to another part of the passage.


I do not know whether I made the idea. Does it work ??


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