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SAT Reading: Why Does Thoreau Use the Phrase "Mechanical Aids" in this Passage?
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Thoreau was all about simplicity; anything that took away from his vision was the enemy. Mechanical aids were one of them. Guess he had to train a...

SAT Reading: Suggesting a Reason for Thoreau's Word Choice
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Thoreau wants our lives to be simplified. He claims that we gain less from life when we over-complicate things.

How Does Thoreau Feel about Commerce?
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How does Thoreau feel about commerce? He writes, "We don't ride upon the railroad; it rides upon us." He wants and end to the war fighting for the...

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A Primary Difference Between Two Passages 169 Views


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Description:

SAT Reading: Passage Comparison Drill 6, Problem 1

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by suppressed guilt. If we don't

00:07

look at the poverty and misery that so many Native American Indians feel today

00:12

well we just won't feel guilty about it, right?

00:45

A primary difference between the two passages is that... what?

00:53

To get to the bottom of this one, we have to know the main points of both of these long passages.

00:58

The first one is all about the author's big day at the opening of the American Indian

01:01

museum, which apparently is an awesome place.

01:04

The second passage is more focused on a bunch of different historical sites all around the

01:08

country that have given scientists insight into America's original inhabitants.

01:13

Now that we've got that straight in our heads, we're ready to start eliminating answers.

01:17

Sure, Passage 1 discusses a museum. But, while

01:19

Passage 2 does mention archaeologists from universities...

01:23

It doesn't spend a lot of time talking about the universities themselves. So... we can

01:26

get rid of choice (A). Yeah, the first passage is all about the Museum

01:30

of the American Indian, but the second passage doesn't even talk about it.

01:34

Choice (C) is out of the running. Author 1 obviously has a major crush on the

01:38

museum that he visited.

01:39

So, we don't have to read any further to know that (D) is incorrect.

01:43

Neither passage makes a big deal about whether or not the authors are Native American, though

01:47

it really seems like they aren't, since they never use the word "we" when talking

01:51

about the natives.

01:52

Either way, (E) doesn't make the cut.

01:54

Figuring out point of view is all about checking for pronouns. So let's give the passages a

01:59

quick once-over:

02:01

Passage 1 uses "I" and recounts one person's experience, while Passage 2 discusses research

02:07

without referring to the author's own perspective.

02:10

With our perspective check complete, we're sure that (B) is the best choice.

02:14

Sometimes all you need to solve a problem is a little perspective...

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