The author refers to the truly knowledgeable minority in contemporary societies in the context of the fourth paragrap...

nizhoni September 24, 2019

I chose C first then doubted myself and chose A >_<

Ok. Ugh I'm mad. So when I first read through the answer choices C sounded like the winner compared to all the others, BUT I got hung up on what "rules of behavior" meant and if it was analogous to the description about the lack of popular literature in ancient times and how they had not media that "dealt with sociopolitical issues." Please walk me through the thought process on this one. I don't even know why I chose A at the last minute when I immediately eliminated it my first round.

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SamA September 25, 2019

Hello @nizhoni,

I see what you mean about the "rules of behavior." This phrase isn't specifically mentioned in the passage, so it can be confusing when it suddenly appears in an answer choice. However, I would encourage you not to let small semantic differences distract you from the true meaning of the text. Much of the passage was about law. Although I don't love the word choice, this could be considered the same as rules of behavior.

Let's jump to the reference in question from the fourth paragraph.

"Granted, people today also rely heavily on a truly knowledgeable minority for information and its interpretation, often transmitted orally."

Here, the author concedes that in some way, contemporary societies are similar to ancient Greece. Like in ancient courts, people today rely on the elites for interpretation, despite having at least a basic literacy level.

This is in contrast to one of the author's main points, which is that literacy in ancient Greece shouldn't be studied through a modern lens (lines 5-11). The author then returns to her main point with a resounding "yet" on line 45: Despite relying on an elite minority to some degree, people today have the advantage of widespread popular literature. Because of this, they are not so fully dependent on the knowledgeable minority.

This concession followed by confirmation of one of her main arguments is best reflected by answer choice C.

A is an attractive wrong answer, but "far less" is a bit too strong for the tone of the passage.