#5 - Global Reference, Must Be True, Purpose/Function

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (B).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[lsathelpppp]

Hello - please explain why B is the right answer. I selected C because I thought that the passage was about reconciling how two cultures approach a situation.

[Jeff Wren]

Hi lsathelpppp,

This one can be tricky.

One helpful strategy for these "purpose" type questions is to first think about the main point of the passage for context. The purpose of the passage is related to (but not the same as) the Main Point of the passage. Think of it as a description of what the passage does, rather than stating the actual key point of the passage.

For example, if you were able to get Question 1 correct, the main point of the passage (Answer C) was how land claim suits such as the Mashpee's illustrate the complications that can result from legal disputes between different cultures. In other words, the Mashpee land dispute that is discussed is an example of a more general problem.

This is why Answer B is correct. It captures what the passage does: namely showing a general problem (the complications between legal disputes of different cultures) by discussing a single example (The Mashpee land suit).

The problem with Answer C is that the passage doesn't actually reconcile the differences. In the Mashpee case, the court failed to understand the oral culture of the Mashpee tribe. More recently, courts have been more open to acknowledging differences in cultures, but that's not quite the same as a complete reconciliation.

Also, Answer C misses the key idea that the Mashpee law suit is an example of the larger problem of differences in cultures in legal cases.