LSAT 116, Section 4, RC Passage 2, Education

RC Passage 2 Explanation

This is an explanation for passage 2 of LSAT preptest 32, the October 2000 LSAT. This passage is about multicultural education. The passage presents different views about multicultural education and critiques of those views.

This section has paragraph summaries and an analysis of the passage, links to the explanations for the questions are below.

Paragraph Summaries

1. First viewpoint: We should teach about other cultures, but examine them using liberal values (democracy, tolerance, equality)
2. Critique of first viewpoint: We can’t understand cultures if we look at them using our values.
3. Second viewpoint (same as first critique): We should teach multiculturalism using a neutral perspective.
4. Critique of second viewpoint: neutral viewpoints are themselves part of Western Culture. The second viewpoint is still biased. We can only understand other cultures by adopting the perspectives of those cultures.

Analysis

This passage is not an argument. It presents three views about multicultural education. The author doesn’t say whether he agrees with any of the views (don’t assume he agrees with the last perspective simply because it was last).

The three viewpoints are: “proposal 1”, “critique of proposal 1 and presentation of proposal 2”, “critique of proposal 2 and presentation of proposal 3”.

Maybe the author has another view, or maybe they don’t even think we should teach about other cultures. The passage is simply a neutral presentation of two views, and critiques of those views.