MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Question 7: Answer and Explanation
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Question: 7
1. The author writes in paragraph 5 that "the federal government has been able to make the people pay directly for their own repression." Judging based on the rest of the passage, this is most likely intended to signify that:
- A. popular uprisings no longer occur in the United States due to more successful control of citizens.
- B. imprisoned protestors are sent a bill for the expenses accrued while they are behind bars.
- C. protesting ultimately incurs worse consequences for individuals today than it did in the 18th century.
- D. the government requires citizens to pay taxes, which are partly used to fund police and military responses to protests.
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Read the quote from the question stem in context to get a sense of what to look for: "And while the moneyed had to foot the bill directly…in quelling Shays' Rebellion, since the adoption of the new Constitution in 1789, the federal government has been able to make the people pay directly for their own repression." The contrast with Shays' Rebellion is instructive, since the author notes in P3 that "[t]he federal government lacked the funds to assemble its own militia and counter the uprising," while this is not a problem in P4 with the federal response to the Whiskey Rebellion. The inference to be drawn is that the new government can levy taxes, which it can then use to respond to a popular uprising—even if that uprising is itself a reaction to the taxes levied, as was the case with the Whiskey Rebellion. The only answer that reflects this line of thinking is choice (D).
(A) Opposite. The author cites a recent example (the 2011 Occupy movement) of a kind of popular uprising immediately after raising this point, so this choice is contradicted by the passage.
(B) Out of Scope. While this offers a possible explanation, the passage never discusses anything of this sort.
(C) Out of Scope. No comparison is ever made between the kinds of consequences dissenters face today versus the 18th century, so this choice could not reflect the passage.