RC Challenge -3

[abhasjha]

In the field of historiography—the writing of
history based on a critical examination of authentic
primary information sources—one area that has
recently attracted attention focuses on the responses
(5) of explorers and settlers to new landscapes in order to
provide insights into-the transformations the
landscape itself has undergone as a result of
settlement. In this endeavor historiographers
examining the history of the Pacific Coast of the
(10) United States have traditionally depended on the
records left by European American explorers of the
nineteenth century who, as commissioned agents of
the U.S. government, were instructed to report
thoroughly their findings in writing.


(15) But in furthering this investigation some
historiographers have recently recognized the need
to expand their definition of what a source is. They
maintain that the sources traditionally accepted as
documenting the history of the Pacific Coast have too
(20) often omitted the response of Asian settlers to this
territory. In pan this is due to the dearth of written
records left by Asian settlers; in contrast to the
commissioned agents, most of the people who first
came to western North America from Asia during this
(25) same period did not focus on developing a self -
conscious written record of their involvement with
the landscape. But because a full study of a culture's
historical relationship to its land cannot confine itself
to a narrow record of experience, these
(30) historiographers have begun to recognize the value of
other kinds of evidence, such as the actions of Asian
settlers.


As a case in point, the role of Chinese settlers in
expanding agriculture throughout the Pacific Coast
(35) territory is integral to the history of the region.
Without access to the better Sand, Chinese settlers
looked for agricultural potential in this generally arid
region where other settlers did not. For example ,
where settlers of European descent looked at willows
(40) and saw only useless, un tillable swamp,
Chinese settlers saw freshwater, fertile soil, and the potential
for bringing water to more arid areas via irrigation.
Where other settlers who looked at certain weeds,
such as wild mustard, generally saw a nuisance,
(45) Chinese settlers saw abundant raw material for
valuable spices from a plant naturally suited to the
local soil and climate.



Given their role in the labor force shaping this
territory in the nineteenth century, the Chinese settlers
(50) offered more than just a new view of the land. Their
vision was reinforced by specialized skills involving
swamp reclamation and irrigation systems, which
helped lay the foundation for the now well-known
and prosperous agribusiness of the region. That
(55) 80 percent of the area's cropland is now irrigated and
that the region is currently the top producer of many
specialty crops cannot be fully understood by
historiographers without attention to the input of
Chinese settlers as reconstructed from their
(60) interactions with that landscape.



8. Which one of the following most accurately states the
main point of the passage?

(A) The history of settlement along the Pacific
Coast of the U.S., as understood by most
historiographers, is confirmed by evidence
reconstructed from the actions of Asian settlers.

(B) Asian settlers on the Pacific Coast of the U.S.
left a record of their experiences that traditional
historiographers believed to be irrelevant.

(C) To understand Asian settlers' impact on the
history of the Pacific Coast of the U.S.,
historiographers have had to recognize the
value of nontraditional kinds of historiographic
evidence.

(D) Spurred by new findings regarding Asian
settlement on the Pacific Coast of the U.S.
historiographers have begun to debate the
methodological foundations of historiography.

(E) By examining only written information,
historiography as it is traditionally practiced has
produced inaccurate historical accounts.




9. Which one of the following most accurately describes
the author's primary purpose in discussing Chinese
settlers in the third paragraph?

(A) to suggest that Chinese settlers followed typical
settlement patterns in this region during the
nineteenth century

(B) to argue that little written evidence of Chinese
settlers' practices survives

(C) to provide examples illustrating the unique view
Asian settlers had of the land

(D) to demonstrate that the history of settlement in
the region has become a point of contention
among historiographers

(E) to claim that the historical record provided by
the actions of Asian settlers is inconsistent with
history as derived from traditional sources





10. The passage states that the primary traditional
historiographic sources of information about the history
of the Pacific Coast of the U.S. have which one of the
following characteristics?

(A) They were written both before and after Asian
settlers arrived in the area.

(B) They include accounts by Native Americans in
the area.

(C) They are primarily concerned with potential
agricultural uses of the land.

(D) They focus primarily on the presence of water
sources in the region.

(E) They are accounts left by European American
explorers.




11. The author would most likely disagree with which one
of the following statements?

(A) Examining the actions not only of Asian settlers
but of other cultural groups of the Pacific Coast
of the U.S. is necessary to a full understanding
of the impact of settlement on the landscape
there

(B) The significance of certain actions to the writing
of history may be recognized by one group of
historiographers but not another.

(C) Recognizing the actions of Asian settlers adds to
but does not complete the writing of the history
of the Pacific Coast of the U.S.

(D) By recognizing as evidence the actions of people,
historiographers expand the definition of what a
source is.

(E) The expanded definition of a source will
probably not be relevant to studies of regions
that have no significant immigration of non-
Europeans.




12. According to the passage, each of the following was a
aspect of Chinese settlers' initial interactions with the
landscape of the Pacific Coast of the U.S. EXCEPT:
(A) new ideas for utilizing local plants

(B) a new view of the land

(C) specialized agricultural skills

(D) knowledge of agribusiness practices

E) knowledge of irrigation systems


13. Which one of the following can most reasonably be
inferred from the passage?

(A) Most Chinese settlers came to the Pacific Coast
of the U.S. because the climate was similar to
that with which they were familiar.

(B) Chinese agricultural methods in the nineteenth
century included knowledge of swamp
reclamation.

(C) Settlers of European descent used wild mustard
seed as a spice.

(D) Because of the abundance of written sources
available, it is not worthwhile to examine the
actions of European settlers.

(E) What written records were left by Asian settlers
were neglected and consequently lost to scholarly research.




14. Which one of the following, if true, would most help to
strengthen the author's main claim in the last sentence
of the passage?

(A) Market research of agribusinesses owned by
descendants of Chinese settlers shows that
the market for the region's specialty crops has
grown substantially faster than the market for
any other crops in the last decade.

(B) Nineteenth-century surveying records indicate
that the lands now cultivated by specialty crop
businesses owned by descendants of Chinese
settlers were formerly swamp lands.

(C) Research by university agricultural science
departments proves that the formerly arid lands
now cultivated by large agribusinesses contain
extremely fertile soil when they are sufficiently
irrigated.

(D) A technological history tracing the development
of irrigation systems in the region reveals that
their efficiency has increased steadily since the
nineteenth century.

(E) Weather records compiled over the previous
century demonstrate that the weather patterns
in the region are well-suited to growing certain
specialty crops as long as they are irrigated.

[12rk34]

Q8 : C
In para 1, the sentence 'They maintain that the sources ...................omitted the response of Asian settlers to this territory.' and again in para 2 'But because a full study of a culture's historical relationship to its land cannot confine itself to a narrow record ofexperience, these historiographers have begun to recognize the value of other kinds of evidence, such as the actions of Asian settlers.' These two sentences support choice 'C'.

Q9 : E
In para 2 'But because a full study of a culture's historical relationship to its land cannot confine itself to a narrow record ofexperience, these historiographers have begun to recognize the value of other kinds of evidence, such as the actions of Asian settlers.' indicates the primary purpose and choice 'E' is therefore consistent with it.
Q10 : E
In para 1 the lines 'In this endeavor historiographers
examining the history of the Pacific Coast of the
United States have traditionally depended on the
records left by European American explorers of the
nineteenth century who, as commissioned agents of
the U.S. government, were instructed to report
thoroughly their findings in writing.' support choice 'E'.
Q11 :E
In para 2 , 'But because a full study of a culture's historical relationship to its land cannot confine itself to a narrow record ofexperience, these historiographers have begun to recognize the value of other kinds of evidence, such as the actions of Asian settlers.' indicates that other kinds of evidences include, actions of Asian settlers. It means there are evidences other than actions of Asian sttlers and these evidences may not relate to immigration of non-Europeans. Therefore author may disagree with statement in 'E'
Q12 : D
In last para the lines 'Their vision was reinforced by specialized skills involving
swamp reclamation and irrigation systems, which
helped lay the foundation for the now well-known
and prosperous agribusiness of the region.'
indicate that their specialized skills led to foundation of modern agribusiness of region. But it does not mention that the chinese settlers initially possessed these skills. Other skills and knowledge are specifically mentioned in the passage. Hence 'D'.
Q13 : B
The lines 'Their vision was reinforced by specialized skills involving
swamp reclamation and irrigation systems, which
helped lay the foundation for the now well-known
and prosperous agribusiness of the region.' in the last para are consistent with the observation in 'B'.
Q14 : B
In last para the lines 'Their
vision was reinforced by specialized skills involving
swamp reclamation and irrigation systems, which
helped lay the foundation for the now well-known
and prosperous agribusiness of the region. ' are consistent with 'B'.

[abhasjha]

Hi 12rk34,

Good effort . You answered only the Ninth question incorrectly . I would advice you to put your mistakes into categories in the log file that you make .

If you are able to find out how creators of the test force you to choose wrong answers then you would be at a great advantage .

In this particular question (question number 9 ) the creators of the LSAT have forced you to choose the wrong answer by stating a few of the things that is written in the passage and then adding a single word "inconsistent which is exaggeration of what is being told in the passage . This is pretty same like the shell game answer in the critical reasoning section . CR and RC have a lot of areas which are overlapping and both of the section have much less rules when compared to SC . It is different issue that guys on Test magic generally care only about SC although RC and CR is more scoring !

The detailed explanation of all the questions follows :

Question #8: The correct answer choice is (C)

Since this is a Main Point question, we should attempt to form a prephrase before beginning to assess the answer choices. The main point of this passage, roughly, is to introduce historiography and discuss the need to include early Chinese settlers' actions as a source of historical information.

Answer choice (A): Part of the point of this passage is that historiographers need to expand their definition of a source if they are to have a complete understanding of the development of the landscape. If historiographers need to pay attention to non-written evidence made by Chinese settlers, it must be that this new evidence would offer some insight, so it seems highly unlikely that
such new sources might simply confirm what historians already knew.


Answer choice (B): The passage suggested that the attention to the influence of Chinese settlers is recent, but that doesn't mean that historiographers have traditionally assumed that such evidence is irrelevant. They might simply have failed to see the existence of such evidence.

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice, as it sums up the author's main point in this passage. The author states in lines 15-17 that historiographers have recognized a need to expand their definition a source, and in lines 54-60 the author states that historiographers cannot understand the development of the U.S. Pacific Coast without considering the actions of Chinese settlers.

Answer choice (D); Since the passage never suggests that Pacific Coast historiographers are divided over whether to pay attention to new types of evidence, this answer choice is unfounded.
Furthermore, since historiographers recognize the need for new types of evidence, there appears to be some consensus. Finally, adding a new type of evidence is not the same as challenging a methodological foundation.

Answer choice (E): The author's point is not that until recently accounts have been inaccurate, but rather that they have been incomplete. Further, since the author explicitly confines the discussion to the historiography of the US Pacific Coast, we cannot justifiably select a response that refers to the
whole of historiography.


Question #9: . The correct answer choice is (C)


Since this question specifically refers to the third paragraph, it is once again advantageous to have an understanding of the structure of the passage. The third paragraph provides examples of the integral role of the Chinese settlers on the landscape, which is what we should prephrase before moving onto
the answer choices.

Answer choice (A): The examples in the third paragraph illustrate that Chinese settlers were atypical, and the author doesn't examine their settlement patterns.



Answer choice (B): It seems true that there is little written evidence of the practices of the Chinese settlers. But this is not because such records didn't survive, but because the Chinese settlers simply
didn't leave "a self-conscious written record" (lines 21-27).
Further, since the question is about the function of the third paragraph, we can confidently eliminate this incorrect answer choice.

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. The author argues that considering the Chinese perspective on the landscape is critical to understanding the transformation of the US Pacific Coast. The third paragraph develops that argument by showing how the Chinese perspective was distinctive from the European perspective.

Answer choice (D): This answer choice is incorrect, since no debate among the historiographers is even alluded to in the passage. On the contrary, there appears to be a consensus among historiographers that new sources must be considered to have a more complete perspective on the development of the region.

Answer choice (E): The author's claim is not that the new source of evidence is inconsistent with traditional accounts, but rather that information about the actions of the Chinese settlers would complement the sources already considered. The new sources, when considered along with the
traditional, would offer a more complete historiography.


Question #10: The correct answer choice is (E)


Since this question concerns the traditional sources of information for historiographers, the relevant reference point, considering the organization of the passage, would be the first paragraph.

Answer choice (A): Since the passage offers no information as to the timing of the Chinese settlement relative to the writing of the traditional sources of historiography, this answer choice is incorrect.

Answer choice (B): No mention is made in the passage concerning Native American accounts, so we cannot confidently confirm or deny this assertion.

Answer choice (C): While it does seemlikely that traditional sources are concerned with potential agricultural uses of the land, the author never specifies this, and certainly does not assert that this was a primary concern.

Answer choice (D): Once again, the author does not indicate precisely an American-European explorer's focus. The passage explicitly states that the Chinese were concerned with water sources which should not be confused with American-European concern. Furthermore, once again there is evidence as to the primary concern of any of the parties in the passage.

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice, as it references the author's explicit statements in lines 8-14. Since historiographers have traditionally depended on the written records of European-American explorers, it makes sense that, traditionally, the primary sources have been the
accounts of those explorers.


Question #11: The correct answer choice is (E)

Since this question asks for the response that the author would most likely disagree with, we should look for the answer choice that cannot be true based on the information provided in the stimulus.

Answer choice (A): Since the author acknowledges that a specific new source is likely to be valuable to the formation of a complete cultural perspective, this answer choice provides an assertion with which the author would likely agree.

Answer choice (B): Since there has been a change in what historiographers of the US Pacific Coast view as a source, some time might lapse before every historiographer knows of these new sources to be considered, so the author might agree with this assertion. In any case, there is no reason to assume
that the author would disagree, so this answer choice is incorrect.

Answer choice (C): The author asserts that the historiography was incomplete without consideration of the acts of early Chinese settlers, so the same might be said for other sources not previously considered. Since the author would be likely to agree with this statement, this answer choice is incorrect.

Answer choice (D): Since this answer basically paraphrases the claims found in lines 15-17, this assertion is not one with which the author would disagree, so this answer is wrong.

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. The author's arguments relay the idea that, wherever written evidence neglects an important, contributing population, historiographers should investigate this new source of information. This assertion is based not on the fact that the settlers were non-European, but rather that they made important contributions. Thus the author would disagree with this answer choice, which asserts non-European participation is required to expand the definition of a source.





Question #12: The correct answer choice is (D)

This is another example of a question which becomes much easier when one considers passage organization. Since this question concerns early Chinese settler's interactions with the landscape, it seems that the relevant reference point would be the third paragraph, which deals almost exclusively
with Chinese influences on the initial development of the region.

Answer choice (A): The new utilizations of local plants are discussed in lines 43-47, which describe the Chinese use of the wild mustard plant. Because this is an Except question, this answer choice, which accurately reflects information in the passage, should be eliminated.

Answer choice (B): The author specifically discusses the Chinese view of the land in lines 36-42, so this response provides an aspect discussed in the passage, and is therefore incorrect.

Answer choice (C): The discussion of Chinese ability to find unexpected agricultural potential in new areas and new plants, and use irrigation, as described in the third paragraph, is evidence that the Chinese had specialized agricultural skills. Since this is discussed in the passage, this answer choice
is incorrect.

Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice, because the author makes no mention of initial Chinese knowledge of agribusiness practices. The Chinese settlers helped lay the foundations for what is now the well-known, prosperous agribusiness of the region (lines 50-54). Since the question asked about the settlers' initial interactions, and the passage discusses the agribusiness of a
later era, this choice is the only answer that is unsupported, and it is therefore the correct response this EXCEPT question.


Answer choice (E): Since the passage explicitly states in lines 48-54 that the Chinese settlers had knowledge of irrigation systems, this choice is supported, and incorrect.


Question #13:. The correct answer choice is (B)

This question asks for the response that can be most reasonably inferred from the passage, so we must find the answer choice that is consistent with the author's reasoning. Often the most efficient approach to this sort of question is to review the choices and quickly eliminate any that inconsistent with the passage, and then examine the remaining responses more closely.

Answer choice (A): While the early Chinese settlers did have important, transferable skills, there isno reason to presume that these were the result of having come from similar climates, and the passage offers no insight into whether the climate was the reason for their migration.

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice, based on the fact that Chinese settlers brought these swamp reclamation skills to the Pacific Coast (lines 50-54). As for the fact that these methods were used in the 19th century, this is confirmed by the fact that the historiographers of the US Pacific Coast region have, as explicitly stated, traditionally used nineteenth-century European-
American accounts (lines 8-14), and the Chinese settlers discussed fall in the same period (lines 21-27).

Answer choice (C): According to the passage, it was the Chinese settlers who used the wild mustard seeds, while the European settlers generally viewed the plants as weeds (lines 43-47).

Answer choice (D): ft is valuable to study the actions of the Chinese settlers because there was little recorded by them. The actions of the European settlers have presumably already been considered by the historiographers, and this is because of the abundance of written sources available.

Answer choice (E): Since the author explicitly states in lines 21-22 that written records never existed in many cases, this choice, which suggests that such written records did exist at one time, is unsupported.



Question #14: The correct answer choice is (B)

This question asks which answer choice most effectively strengthens the author's claim in the last sentence, which basically states the main point of the passage: a complete historiography requires consideration of the actions of the early Chinese settlers. The correct answer choice will bolster this argument.

Answer choice (A): Since this response implies nothing directly about Chinese involvement in transforming the landscape, this answer is incorrect. Things change with time, and knowing what occurred during the past decade does not prove what occurred over a century ago. Further, the speed of the growth of the specialty crops relative to that of other crops has no clear relevance.

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice, as this response would lend credibility to the claim thatit was Chinese ancestors who converted the swamplands to grow the specialty crops currently cultivated by their Chinese descendants.

Answer choice (C): While this answer choice does provide evidence that irrigation is beneficial to agribusiness, it does nothing to provide support for the assertion that this benefit is attributable to early Chinese influence. Since this answer does not strengthen the claim from the last sentence in the passage, this choice is incorrect.

Answer choice (D): A steady increase in the efficiency of irrigations systems does not offer insight that irrigations improvements began in the nineteenth century, it does little to strengthen the claim that the early Chinese influence must be considered to form a more complete historiography.


Answer choice (E): Since we already know, given the passage, that agribusiness in the US Pacific Coast region is thriving, it does not strengthen the author's argument to add reasons to believe that vegetation can grow well in that area. Although this response might make it more likely that irrigation is a good idea, it has nothing to do with whether such irrigation is attributable to early Chinese influence.

[12rk34]

That's excellent advice. I will try to follow it. Hope you will continue to post more such exercises.
Thanks.

[ps36363]

Great Post buddy!!
I just tried it and got all correct.
I completely agree with your thoughts about RC and CR as more scoring areas than SC.
Hope you keep posting such mind blowing RC's.
You are my window to the RC world buddy.

[abhasjha]

Great Post buddy!!
I just tried it and got all correct.
I completely agree with your thoughts about RC and CR as more scoring areas than SC.
Hope you keep posting such mind blowing RC's.
You are my window to the RC world buddy.

Thanks a lot of the encouragement personal statement 36363 !

I would try to post more of such passage from the LSAT . The advantage with solving real LSAT problem is the answers to the questions will never be ambiguous which is not the case with Kaplan , Manhattan etc . even after reading the explanation quite a few times you feel the answer is not right .

I would try to post all the passages with explanation within 24 hours so that my comrades on the test magic forum regularly get high Level RC passages . Explanation within 24 hours would also force them to do be regular with RC- the most neglected section by most aspirants of GMAT.