Reading ComprehensionDifficulty: Hard

PT128 S1 P1 Q2 Explanation

Mexican American Literature

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Reading Comprehension question.

TopicsAuthor OpinionHumanities

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Passage

One of the most prominent characteristics of the literature by United States citizens of Mexican descent is that it is frequently written in a combination of English and Spanish. By not limiting itself to one language, such writing resonates with its authors' bicultural experiences. Their work is largely Mexican in its sensibility, in Mexican culture, it distinguishes itself from Mexican literature in its content and concerns.

Many Mexican Americans are only a generation away from the mostly agrarian culture of their ancestors, and the work of most Mexican American writers shows evidence of heavy influence from this culture. Their novels are often simple in structure, and some of the common themes in these novels include the struggle to values of the characters' culture, such as the spiritual and religious benefits of working the land.

Much of Mexican writing, on the other hand, has been criticized for being dominated by the prominent literary establishment concentrated in Mexico City. Literary reputation and success in Mexico—including the attainment of publicly sponsored positions in the arts—are often bestowed or denied by this literary establishment. Moreover, the work of Mexican writers of what this community sees as parochial concerns belies the thematic richness of Mexican American writing.

The work of Mexican American writers can be richly textured in its complex mixture of concerns; among other things, their work is distinguished by an overarching concern with the complexities of cultural transition. Many Mexican American writers assert that rather than working to be absorbed into U.S. society, they are engaged in borderland in which nostalgia and reality are combined in the service of forging a new identity.

What this question is testing

Author Opinion

Your task

Pin down exactly what the question asks about the passage — a detail, the author's view, the structure, or the main point — before looking at the choices.

Common trap

Answers that restate a true detail from the passage but don't answer the specific question being asked.

Winning move

Anticipate the answer in your own words from the passage, then find the choice that matches that prediction.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question
2.

It can most reasonably be inferred from the passage that the author would agree with which one of

Answer choices

  1. Contradiction9% picked this

    While Mexican American writers are in the process of shaping their body of literature, one of their goals is to create a literary establishment

    Mexican American writers are concerned with forging a new identify (P4) with a literary tradition that is distinguished in content and concerns from Mexican literature (P1).

  2. Too Strong20% picked this

    The use of a mixture of both Spanish and English in current Mexican American literature is evidence of

    The use of both languages resonates with the authors’ bicultural experiences (P1) and while the authors are concerned with the complexities of cultural transition (P4), Mexican American writers are working to establish a new identify that is neither Mexican nor that of the U.S. (P4)

  3. Out of Scope5% picked this

    The use of a romanticized Mexico in Mexican American literature is offensive to writers of the literary establishment of Mexico City, who find the

    The passage does not discuss how the literary establishment in Mexico views the use of romanticized Mexico in Mexican American literature.

  4. Correct58% picked this

    Mexican American literature is noteworthy more for its thematic content than for

    Why this is right

    The author sees Mexican American literature as simple in structure (P2) and thematically rich (P3).

    Skill tested: Author Opinion · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

  5. Unsupported8% picked this

    Mexican American writers are concerned that the importance of Mexico, currently central to their culture, will be diminished, and that Mexican American literature

    While Mexican American writers are concerned with the complexities of cultural transition (P4) they are convinced of the importance of Mexico (P4).

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