#14 - Global Reference, Main Point

[cgs174]

Hi!!

I found this to be the hardest question in this passage, mainly because of how few answers were clearly objectionable. I quickly ruled out C) and E) but found D) B) and A) to all be plausible answers with overlapping content. My prephrase for the MP of this passage was that early Native Americans made autobiographies that carried different understandings of the self than European autobiographies and utilized different mediums than European autobiographies.

This prephrase seemed to align with all three choices and I had a very hard time seeing why one was really preferable to the other two and ultimately choose B) when pressed for time. I know there must be a reason but I honestly can't see it.

Thanks for the help!

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi cgs,

First, I think your prephrase was a great first step. Notice what the focus of your prephrase was---it wasn't on the European systems or scholars, but rather the Native American forms as compared to the European assumptions and attitudes about self. Now, let's break down those answer choices!

Answer choice (A): This one is focused on the scholars and how wrong they traditionally have been. While the author does talk about assumptions by European scholars, that is a small part of the overall point of the passage. The passage is more focused on describing the actual forms and traditions of Native American autobiography.

Answer choice (B): This answer choice is close. But again, the main point isn't about autobiography in general---it's very focused on the Native American forms and traditions.

Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer. It correctly focuses on Native American traditions, and only on European/other cultures in the ways that Native American forms were different and unique from the European forms.

Hope that helps!

[elite097]

This question is not clear as the main point is just telling about various forms of autobiography applicable to Native americans. there is no focus on any form of comparison and muultiple choices seem plausible

[Robert Carroll]

elite097,

The main point is not just about that - the author constantly compares European autobiography to Native American autobiography. The author is not just telling us about a particular genre, but always comparing that genre to the expectations for that genre of European writers and readers. That makes sense, in fact - before reading this passage, the author seems to assume (probably correctly) that a lot of what the passage discusses would not have been considered autobiographical, because "autobiography" has too limited in the context of many Europeans. There absolutely is a comparison! Every paragraph except the third compares. So that's a good thing about answer choice (D) and a bad thing for any answer lacking it. Can I help with any other specific answer, except the ones Rachael has already explained?

Robert Carroll