MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Question 2: Answer and Explanation

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Test Information

Question: 2

2. Which of the following statements, if true, would most strengthen the author's claim that "utopia and dystopia are inextricably intertwined" (paragraph 4)?

  • A. I only
  • B. III only
  • C. II and III only
  • D. I, II, and III

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

Roman numeral (I) appears twice, so begin with it. Violence is discussed in P4 as a commonality between utopian and dystopian literature, so this is not a point of difference. Since (I) is false, choices (A) and (D) can be eliminated. Numeral (III) must be true, since it appears in the two remaining options (confirmed by a line from P4: "From the transgressor's perspective, a vantage taken up far more commonly in novels of dystopia . . ."), so only (II) needs to be evaluated. At the end of P2, the author asserts, "Utopian fiction celebrates human potential, particularly the power of reason . . .," so utopian literature does emphasize reason. In P3, the author discusses the crucial role that "instrumental rationality" ("the dark side of human reason") plays in We and a number of other dystopian novels. As another point of similarity, (II) is thus false and (C) is wrong. Because only (III) is true, choice (B) is correct.

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