October 1991 LSAT Section 1 Question 8

According to the author of the passage, Stilgoe uses the phrase "romantic–era distrust" (line 13) to imply that the v...

LillCarr on June 24, 2020

Why is D incorrect?

I understand that the author somewhat disagrees with Stilgoe's interpretation of the "Romantic Eria of distrust." However, the author asks what STILGOE inferred by the term. Can you explain why D should be eliminated?

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Victoria on July 4, 2020

Hi @Cammy,

Happy to help!

Answer choice (D) is definitely tempting but can be eliminated based on lines 18 to 21: "What Stilgoe calls 'romantic-era distrust' was in fact the reaction of a minority...who distrusted the railroad not so much for what it was as for what it signified."

The author believes that this "romantic-era distrust" was a minority movement. The language they use to introduce this beliefs suggests that Stilgoe believed this distrust was a commonly held attitude but was, in fact, only held by a minority of individuals.

In this way, (D) represents the author's beliefs, not the implications of Stilgoe's use of the phrase.

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