Which one of the following most accurately and completely summarizes the passage?
JeremyGon April 26, 2019
C over E?
I spent a while deciding between C and E and eventually changed my answer from C to E. I decided to go with E on the basis of lines 11-12: "Reaction to this phenomenon within WESTERN ANTHROPOLOGICAL CIRCLES is sharply divided." E's verbiage references "anthropological circles" while C's verbiage only references "anthropologists." Seeing as that is irrelevant in the minds of LSAC, how else can we know that C is a better answer than E? Possibly, E's being anchored around the Kayapo people makes it too narrow to completely summarize the passage?
Replies
Create a free account to read and
take part in forum discussions.
Great question. Let's take a look. The question says, "Which one of the following most accurately and completely summarizes the passage?"
(E) says, "The Kayapo people’s use of video technology validates the position of one faction in the debate in anthropological circles regarding the effect of the proliferation of Western video technology on indigenous cultures."
The issue with (E) is that it only provides us with a summary of the fourth paragraph of the passage, rather than the entire passage (which is what we need). Additionally, (E) also does not even summarize the entire fourth paragraph accurately, as Turner's study of the Kayapo people only lends credence to Ginsburg's position, but it does not validate her position or prove that she is right. Thus, (E) does not capture the main point of the whole passage, as it's far too focused on the fourth paragraph. We can get rid of this choice.
(C) says, "Anthropologists are divided in their assessments of the impact of video technology on indigenous peoples, but there is some evidence that video technology is compatible with the preservation of indigenous cultures."
As noted above, the question we're being asked is basically asking us to identify the main point of the passage. It's important to note that the answer we choose must provide us with a strong overall summary of the entire passage, not just one particular part. In reading the passage, we know that its focus is that anthropologists have differing opinions about the phenomenon of indigenous cultures videotaping their own lives (lines 11-12), but that there's exists some evidence (Turner's examination of the Kayapo videotapes) that video technology is not at odds with the preservation of indigenous culture (lines 44-47). (C) provides us with a summary that matches this, so it's the correct answer choice.
Does this make sense? Let us know if you have any more questions!
