Q10

[jiyoonsim]

I chose C, but the right answer was A.
But wouldn't C be agreeable, too?

On line 18, the passage discussed how critics think the supreme court has been using patronizing tone and rejected Native American values. But the author disagrees, and on the next paragraph, the author said the court recognizes the past unfairness to Natives.

So I thought C would be the answer...? Or is A the answer just because it is closer/more direct to the line 18?

[farhadshekib]

I chose C, but the right answer was A.
But wouldn't C be agreeable, too?

On line 18, the passage discussed how critics think the supreme court has been using patronizing tone and rejected Native American values. But the author disagrees, and on the next paragraph, the author said the court recognizes the past unfairness to Natives.

So I thought C would be the answer...? Or is A the answer just because it is closer/more direct to the line 18?

The question asks: "it can be inferred that the objections raised by the CRITICS mentioned in line 18 would be most clearly answered by a US Supreme Court decision that":

(A) demonstrated respect for Native Americans and the principles and qualities they consider important.

(C) demonstrated recognition of the unfair treatment Native Americans received in the past.

Well, first, you have to find what the critics mentioned in line 18 object to: "Some critics point to the patronizing tone of many Court opinions and the apparent rejection of Native American values as important points to consider when reviewing a case".

(A) would clearly address this by showing respect for their values.

(C) has already been established in the passage - lines 38-40 state: "The Court recognizes that past unfairness to Native Americans cannot be sanctioned by the force of law. Therefore, ambiguities in treaties are to be interpreted in favor of the Native American claimants..."

Moreover, your reason for choosing (C) over (A) is incorrect. Who cares if the author disagrees? The question is only asking about the critics' view.

[jiyoonsim]

Moreover, your reason for choosing (C) over (A) is incorrect. Who cares if the author disagrees? The question is only asking about the critics' view.

Thanks for the comment. Maybe I should have been more clear on my initial question, since what I meant by "author" was what the passage is saying. And yes, I understood the question was about critics, not the author's opinion.

Let me rephrase my question and how I understood your explanation.

The question asks us to choose something that can be an answer for critics. Critics have problem with the court's tone, saying that it is patronizing and doesn't count Native American values that much.

Initially I thought C is better answer than A, since A isn't explicitly mentioned in the passage. On the top of that, I did thought C can be a good answer - something that can cover up one shortcoming.

Now that I read your explanation, it seems like A is the answer because the question is inference - meaning we have to find something that isn't explicitly stated, but something that can be assumed based on the explicitly stated information. Did I understand this correctly?

Inference questions tend to fool me a lot. Seems like some answers are explicit yet some are not

[farhadshekib]

Hey, I am by no means an RC expert, but I'll just try to provide you with another perspective on this question.

It seems that we've both identified the objections raised by the critics mentioned in line 18.

While the author argues that the Supreme Court decisions have not necessarily been completely detrimental to the interests of Native Americans, the critics mentioned in line 18 disagree.

The author argues that "it is worth noting that the power of the Supreme Court has been exercised in a manner that has usually been beneficial to Native Americans, at least on minor issues, and has not been wholly detrimental on the larger, more important issues".

The critics mentioned in line 18, however, "point to the patronizing tone of many Court opinions and the apparent rejection of Native American values [by the Supreme Court]..."

These critics, then, would theoretically be content with a US Supreme Court decision that "demonstrated respect for Native Americans and the principles and qualities they consider important."

In other words: their objections (i.e., the patronizing tone of the Court and disrespect for Native American values) would be answered by such a decision.

As for answer choice (C), the critics do not address this issue.

The author actually makes this point to support his contention that the Supreme Court may actually work to benefit the Native Americans.

The author states: "..the Court has created rules of judicial construction that, in general, favor the rights of Native American litigants...[For example], the Court recognizes that past unfairness to Native Americans cannot be sanctioned by the force of law. Therefore, ambiguities in treaties are to be interpreted in favor of the Native American claimants..."

So, as you see, this is a point that the author has already made; the critics mentioned in line 18 do not address this issue.

Therefore, (C) is wrong.

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

nice explanation farhadshekib! Couldn't have said it better myself.

[YudeS218]

I still cannot understand why A is the right answer.
A says that "answered by a US Supreme Court decision that"
BUT even there is ONE decision demonstrated respect for Native Americans and the principles and qualities they considered important, then these critics' objection still makes sense, in other words, it's still not being answered.