This is Reading Comp, so get conditional logic out of here.
There's a general formula for RC question stems that end in:
in order to
serves to
primarily to
Since each answer begins with "to [verb]", it is expressing purpose. What was the purpose of this phrase / detail / example?
The formula is this
1. MOST COMMON - they're asking about some detail, and the purpose of that detail is to support or flesh out the previous framing idea
2. 2ND MOST COMMON - they're kinda just treating it like a "what does this word mean in context", and you just need to think about what which answer is the best replacement for meaning.
In general, you think:
- the correct answer will probably reinforce the FRAMING IDEA (the bigger idea) that came right before this detail (or, very rarely, right after this detail).
- the correct answer will reinforce the main theme of this paragraph, but doesn't need to tie into anything in other paragraphs.
- beware strong language
For this one, I don't see a great framing idea right before the phrase in line 33, so I'd expect something a little more like a #2. "Flux within Hawaiian society" refers to the active current of immigrants, which is key to Hawaii's diversity. Bigger picture of the paragraph is that Lum is trying to straddle the old/traditional identify and culture with the new/Hawaiian identify and culture.
(A) social tension / mix of attitudes = doesn't sound like what we were talking about. too extra.(B) deny = too strong to really keep reading
(C) this reinforces "the role of immigrants", but the phrase "flux within society" refers to the influx of immigrants that gives Hawaii diversity .... when did we talk about "the process by which immigrants adapt"?
(D) Sure. Change = flux. Diversity is the big idea attached to "flux". This reinforces the meaning of that phrase within this sentence.
(E) This phrase was just saying "Hawaii's a popular destination for immigrants. LOTSA immigrants. Very diverse place." This answer choice is talking about how immigrants in Hawaii change their attitudes about traditional norms. What? too extra.
On this one, I think you'd be risking getting it wrong by trying to be too smart / too tricky about it.
Read the sentence a few times and think about what it's talking about, and then just pick whichever answer sounds like the same conversation. If you couldn't understand the original phrase in context,
lean on the bigger ideas in the immediate vicinity.That's the formula for "in order to / serves to / primarily to", and leaning on "heterogeneity" would get you to the correct answer about "diversity".