@Ro13 Yes, this is a weakening question. E could be intriguing, but what we're going for is something showing that the movement-initiated events reported in the press are an unreliable source, which is better represented by A. It has less to do with anticipating the movements as the press' reporting of them.
AlexSeptember 13, 2018
Why not D? I was thinking the better test did say that there is no correlation when using the economic indicators?
BoramJanuary 9, 2019
What's the difference between answer choices (b) and (a) and why is (a) the better choice?
RaviJanuary 9, 2019
@Alex and @Boram,
Great questions. Let's walk through the question and each answer choice.
The question is asking us how the "better test" mentioned in line 65 might be undermined.
The "better test" discussed by the author is a way to compare the indicators with the frequency of events reported in the press.
However, is this necessarily a good test? Perhaps not. What if not all of the events are covered by the press? What if only a small handful of them are? This would make the sample size unrepresentative, which would make the data bad.
Since we're interested in the frequency of movement events, if the press only covered a few of the events, then this would be a terrible way to test the economic indicators. The clear necessary assumption by the author is that all of the relevant events are being reported by the press.
Answer A states, "the press is selective about the movement activities it chooses to cover." If this were true, then this would greatly call into question the merits of this "better test" since it wouldn't be an accurate indicator of what actually transpired since the data is leaving out certain events. This would weaken the validity of the "better test" by a lot. This is the correct answer.
Answer B is incorrect because we aren't interested in whether economic indicators are covered by the press; we are interested in whether or not the movement-initiated events are covered by the press because the "better test" has to deal with these events, their frequency in the press, and how they compare to economic indicators. If B had said, "not all movement-initiated events received the same amount of press coverage," it would have been correct. However, it doesn't say this.
Answer C is incorrect because it has no bearing on the validity of the "better test." We can get rid of this choice.
Answer D is incorrect because it does not weaken the "better test," but it could weaken the underlying classical theories by calling into question their explanatory powers and causal framework. However, we're tasked with undermining the validity of the "better test," not the underlying theories that the "better test" is testing.
Answer E is incorrect because it doesn't matter if it's difficult to do. Something being difficult to do doesn't logically undermine it.
Does this make sense? Let us know if you have any more questions!
KatherineJanuary 9, 2019
Hi @Alex and @Boram,
The passage discusses three versions of the classical theory of social movements that are applied to help explain the civil rights movement in the United States. The passage ends by discussing ways to test the strength of the theories. One way to test the strength of the theories is by seeing whether the socioeconomic conditions of the time are consistent with the conditions expected by each theory. Unfortunately, there is statistical evidence that would support all three contradictory theories, so that test is not helpful in determining which theory is strongest. The final sentence suggests an alternative way to evaluate the strength of the theories. This “better test†would compare the economic indicators of each theory with the frequency of “movement-initiated events†reported in the media. For example, the economic indicator for the J-curve theory is black American unemployment. So this “better test†would evaluate the J-curve theory by looking at whether the press reported more civil rights events, like sit-ins or protest, when unemployment numbers for black Americans were on the rise.
The question asks you to pick the answer choice that would undermine the validity of the “better test†proposed by the author. Answer A says that the press is selective about what movement events it chooses to cover. If this were true, then relying on press coverage would not be a good indicator to determine movement activity at the relevant time. If high unemployment rates actually correlated with a high number of protests, but the press only covered a small number of them then this test would fail to accurately measure movement activity and evaluate the theory. Because a selective press would undermine the validity of the “better test,†Answer A is correct.
Answer B is not correct because it addresses press coverage of economic indicators, not movement events. The “better test†does not rely on press coverage of economic indicators (unemployment, median income, etc.). Instead, it relies upon press coverage of movement events. The better test compares data from “various statistical records†regarding the economic indicators with press coverage of movement events. Therefore, it does not matter how reliable press coverage of economic indicators are. The important question is whether press coverage of movement events is reliable.
Answer D says that a movement event may not correlate significantly with any of the three economic indicators. If this were true, this would not undermine the validity of the “better test,†it would merely suggest that none of the three theories are the correct explanation. A lack of correlation between movement events and the economic indicators does not mean the test is not valid, it would simply mean that these theories do not explain this particular historical movement. We are looking for an answer choice that would undermine the validity of the “better test,†not undermine the validity of these three theories. Therefore, Answer D is incorrect.
I hope this is helpful. Please let me know if you have further questions!
