ShmoopTube

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Here's your shmoop du jour, brought to you by the Island of Tears. Don't cry too much,

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or you'll have to climb up that palm tree.

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Passage 1 is primarily concerned with...what?

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"Primarily concerned" is another way of saying "find the main point."

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So, we're looking for the answer choice that gives us the best bird's eye view of

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the whole passage, rather than one that focuses on the small stuff.

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The passage does say that it took a few hours to make it through Ellis Island, but overall

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it doesn't focus on long lines.

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We can send (A) back to the boat.

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Answer choice (D) is also way too concerned with the details.

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The author spends about a sentence and a half talking about the types of diseases that could

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keep people out of the country. (D) is a definite no.

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This passage does talk about the harsh conditions that third class passengers had to deal with

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while crossing the Atlantic, but it actually claims that things weren't so bad once they

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reached Ellis Island.

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Choice (B) is denied access for outright lying.

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The passage also talks about the stages of the journey a little bit, by discussing the

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hardships of the voyage, but it's just not the main point.

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Sorry, (E), you've been rejected. The only answer choice that fits here is (C),

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because Passage 1 discusses what different classes of passengers usually encountered

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when immigrating to the U.S..

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So it's C, as in "Citizen."

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