CAT 4: Concord staked its claim

[TP]

Concord staked its claim to be the birthplace of Independence during the celebration of "America’s jubilee" on April 19, 1825, the fiftieth anniversary of Concord Fight. Concord in 1825 was an expansive town of nineteen hundred inhabitants, thriving with crafts and trade in the village and surrounded by farms prospering on demand from rising urban centers in the long boom that accompanied the opening phase of the Industrial Revolution in the Northeast. It also occupied a prominent place on the political landscape; as a shire town, where the county courts convened, it had risen into a leading center of Middlesex County, and its politicians were major players on that stage. Economic and political ambitions, as well as pride in the past, drove the insistence that Concord was the "first site of forcible resistance to British aggression."

A decade later, by the mid-1830s, with over two thousand inhabitants, Concord was probably at its political and economic pinnacle. The central village hosted some nine stores, forty shops, four hotels and taverns, four doctors and four lawyers, a variety of county associations, a printing office and a post office. Manufacturing was humming, too, with a growing mill village in the west part of town, along the quick-running Assabet River, and rising production of carriages and chaises, boots and shoes, bricks, guns, bellows, and pencils.

But a good many people were left out of the prosperity. In what was still a farming town, 64 percent of adult males were landless, while the top tenth of taxpayers, some fifty men, controlled nearly half the wealth. Those who failed to obtain a stake in society, native and newcomer alike, quickly moved on. The ties that once joined neighbors together were fraying. On the farms, the old work customs -- the huskings, roof-raisings, and apple bees -- by which people cooperated to complete essential chores gave way to modern capitalist arrangements. When men needed help, they hired it, and paid the going rate, which no longer included the traditional ration of grog. With a new zeal for temperance, employers abandoned the custom of drinking with workers in what had been a ritual display of camaraderie. There was no point in pretending to common bonds.

With the loosening of familiar obligations came unprecedented opportunities for personal autonomy and voluntary choice. Massachusetts inaugurated a new era of religious pluralism in 1834, ending two centuries of mandatory support for local churches. Even in Concord, a slim majority approved the change, and as soon as it became law, townspeople deserted the two existing churches -- the Unitarian flock of the Reverend Ripley and an orthodox Calvinist congregation started in 1826 -- in droves. The Sabbath no longer brought all ranks and orders together in obligatory devotion to the Word of God. Instead, townspeople gathered in an expanding array of voluntary associations -- libraries, lyceums, charitable and missionary groups, Masonic lodges, antislavery and temperance societies, among others -- to promote diverse projects for the common good. The privileged classes, particularly the village elite, were remarkably active in these campaigns. But even as they pulled back from customary roles and withdrew into private associations, they continued to exercise public power.

According to the passage, which of the following is true of 18th-century Massachusetts residents?

1. Most were landless and ultimately forced to move on.
2. They numbered over two thousand.
3. They were forced to support local churches.
4. Some celebrated "America’s Jubilee".
5. They occupied prominent positions in Middlesex County courts.

The answer is 3. I chose 4.

The explanation for this incorrect answer choice is:

"This choice is incorrect because "America’s Jubilee" was on "on April 19, 1825", and the question asks
specifically about 18th century (1700s) residents."

Isn't it possible that some people (from MA) born in the 18th century (for e.g. 1790s) would
have celebrated "America's Jubilee"?

[Pradeep]

...Massachusetts inaugurated a new era of religious pluralism in 1834, ending two centuries of mandatory support for local churches...


It,s easier to show why choice #3 is the best answer than making an argument for #4.

1834-200=1634; so the 18th century falls into the implied period.

[esledge]

I commend Pradeep's pragmatism.

Isn't it possible that some people (from MA) born in the 18th century (for e.g. 1790s) would
have celebrated "America's Jubilee"?

They may have lived to celebrate America's Jubilee in 1825, but definitely did not celebrate in the 18th century!

Pretend we are in the year 2150, and this statement is given: Personal jet-packs became widely available in 2103.

Is it true of 21st century Americans that "some commuted to work via personal jet-pack"?

[avinashsbajaj]

I have another question regarding the same RC passage:

The primary purpose of this passage is to

A. argue that religious and political freedom in Concord was beneficial to the city’s economic development
B. depict the lifestyle of Concord’s elite citizens during the 19th century
C. argue that social alienation was necessary for Concord’s economic and political development in the 19th century
D. define Concord’s place in American history post-Independence
E. describe 19th century Concord’s key economic and political changes, along with their impact on societal norms

The correct answer is E, but I marked D - based on whatever I could understand from the first paragraph, i.e. how Concord came into the big picture.

I do not disagree that E is wrong, but more often than not, the answer to a "primary purpose" is found in the first paragraph. Hence, I found D to be more prominent in this case. Am I missing something?

The explanation for D is given as:

(D) This choice incorrectly emphasizes Concord’s place in American history. The author only goes as far as to mention Concord’s preeminence in the local "Middlesex County".

I am not very convinced with this. Can someone please clarify this - and also, can you please indicate how I could have arrived at this answer in 2 mins, because from what we can read in those few mins, it is sometimes difficult to grasp the passage in its entirety.

Thank you in advance!

Regards,
Avinash

[RonPurewal]

I do not disagree that E is wrong, but more often than not, the answer to a "primary purpose" is found in the first paragraph. Hence, I found D to be more prominent in this case. Am I missing something?

that's too simplistic. while the first paragraph will certainly contain at least some, and perhaps most, of the primary idea, it's not necessarily true that the whole idea will be captured there.

you should, at least, look at
* the opening paragraph
* the FIRST 1-2 SENTENCES OF EACH BODY PARAGRAPH
* the ending

and then, MOST IMPORTANTLY,
PREDICT YOUR ANSWER BEFORE LOOKING AT THE CHOICES

had you done this, i have no doubt that you would have come up with something limited to politics and economics (as is the correct answer).

I am not very convinced with this. Can someone please clarify this

basically, (d) is way way WAY too general.
* the passage doesn't describe concord's "place in american history"; it's limited to economic and political considerations.
* the passage is also limited to a very small window in time, so "...history post-independence" is too sweeping.

analogy:
if i describe the experience of one minority player in baseball, the main idea is not "the experience of minorities in athletics". too general in 2 different ways.

- and also, can you please indicate how I could have arrived at this answer in 2 mins, because from what we can read in those few mins, it is sometimes difficult to grasp the passage in its entirety.

well, this is a long passage. we certainly don't expect you to read a long passage in two minutes (!)
you can take 3-4 minutes to read the passage.
if you read english slowly, then concentrate on the specific parts mentioned above (opening, BEGINNING of body paragraphs, and closing).

once you've read the passage, you should be able to answer MAIN IDEA questions in 30-40 seconds, since you're predicting the answer without looking at the choices.

[NikhilK912]

Given the length of the paragraph, it took me 5 mins to read the passage before jumping into the questions? My biggest struggle is timing right now, I'm never able to finish CATs without needing to guess 5-6 questions in verbal. Should I avoid these long passages all together or is there a way to skim the passage faster?

Please help.

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

There are a few possible approaches to take:
1. Increase your reading speed. I fully sympathize that this is a longer-term skill that you may not have time for. If English isn't your first language, or you studied technical subjects rather than humanities, you count yourself as a 'slow reader', or you simply haven't read these kinds of passages much in the past, then that can be a disadvantage for GMAT. However, you can work on this by making it a daily practice to read The Economist, or Scientific American, etc., focusing on the kinds of passages that you find tricky.
2. The technique of reading is as much about attention as it is about understanding. I encourage you to experiment with reading aloud, or with reading just the first line of each paragraph, or with pausing after each paragraph to make a mental summary. If you get confused by unfamiliar vocab, it can be useful to read-and-listen, i.e. to read a text while listening to the audio of someone else reading it. This forces you to keep moving and prevents you stopping at unfamiliar words. Many publications have audio versions, such as The Guardian Long Reads section.
3. Exam strategy. If your test is coming up soon, then it may well be worth you taking the tough line to skip one RC passage and its associated questions. If that gives you more time for your stronger areas of SC and CR, then it could well be worthwhile. Alternatively, perhaps RC isn't the issue - it could be that by getting faster at SC and CR you'll have the time for RC that you need.