MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Question 4: Answer and Explanation
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Question: 4
4. The author refers to The Handmaid's Tale in paragraph 3 in order to:
- A. argue that women are just as talented as men at writing speculative fiction.
- B. challenge the idea that society should be organized rationally.
- C. give an example of utopian literature that explores the concept of instrumental rationality.
- D. offer an instance of a novel in which humans are treated as means rather than ends.
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
In P3, the author lays out the various characteristics of dystopian fiction, emphasizing especially the idea of "instrumental rationality," which is described as "a robotic logic in which efficiency is valued for its own sake, and citizens are mere means for the advancement of political ends, which must remain unexamined." The author mentions "Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale" as part of a list of "icons of dystopia," and so is giving an example of a novel that explores the concept of instrumental rationality. Thus, choice (D) is correct.
(A) Out of Scope. The author never discusses gender explicitly, nor compares authors of different genders.
(B) While the author seems to be critical of instrumental reason in this paragraph, the idea is not significantly challenged until P5.
(C) Opposite. The Handmaid's Tale is said to be one of the "icons of dystopia," so it would not be utopian fiction, as suggested in this choice.