LSAT 23 | Section 4 | Reading Comprehension: Q21

RC Question 21 Explanation

DISCUSSION: The early historians in line four thought that immigrant identities blended to form a mixed American national character. (You may have heard of this before as “the melting pot”).

The wrong answers show (or imply) that foreign traditions have preserved themselves separately.

The right answer shows foreign styles merging into a single national style.

___________

1. This is ambiguous. We need to know if the music persisted as part of separate cultural communities, or whether the music blended into a single American cultural identity.
2. Are these ethnic associations helping forge a single identity, or are they preserving separate identities? This is useless.
3. CORRECT. This mirrors the historians’ arguments. Many foreign forms blend into one national style, just like many foreign identities blend into one national identity.
4. This sounds like each neighborhood has kept a separate identity. We’re looking for a blended national identity.
5. We want a single national identity, not multiple foreign traditions that have been maintained.