It can be inferred that the author of the passage believes which one of the following about the Mexican American poli...

Victoria on June 12, 2020

Hi @kenken,

Happy to help!

Answer choice (D) is incorrect because we are not provided with any information to support the idea that there was a relatively even divide between those favouring assimilation and those favouring cultural maintenance. We know that there were at least two sides to this debate and that there was at least one major group supporting each side; however, we do not know the level of support that each side had in the broader Mexican American community.

There is much greater support for the viewpoint expressed by answer choice (B). There were great political differences between the various groups, with one side advocating for assimilation and the other advocating for cultural maintenance. The author tells us that Garcia overlooks these differences because both sides were focused on the common goal of liberal reform (lines 27 to 30). However, the author notes, the debate was fiercely controversial and there was no consensus among groups (lines 30 to 36).

Therefore, while the activists may have had a common goal of liberal reform, this goal did not outweigh their political differences as the groups continued to fiercely debate one another despite their common goal.

Hope this is helpful! Please let us know if you have any further questions.