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Discussion of the assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the Uni
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12 Jan 2019, 04:44
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Discussion of the assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the United States has focused on two factors: social standing and the loss of national culture. In general, excessive stress is placed on one factor or the other, depending on whether the commentator is North American or Puerto Rican. Many North American social scientists, such as Oscar Handlin, Joseph Fitz-patrick, and Oscar Lewis, consider Puerto Ricans as the most recent in a long line of ethnic entrants to occupy the lowest rung on the social ladder. Such a "sociodemographic" approach tends to regard assimilation as a benign process, taking for granted increased economic advantage and inevitable cultural integration, in a supposedly egalitarian context. However, this approach fails to take into account the colonial nature of the Puerto Rican case, with this group, unlike their European predecessors, coming from a nation politically subordinated to the United States. Even the "radical" critiques of this mainstream research model, such as the critique developed in Divided Society, attach the issue of ethnic assimilation too mechanically to factors of economic and social mobility and are thus unable to illuminate the cultural subordination of Puerto Ricans as a colonial minority.
In contrast, the "colonialist" approach of island-based writers such as Eduardo Seda-Bonilla, Manuel Maldonado-Denis, and Luis Nieves-Falcon tends to view assimilation as the forced loss of national culture in an unequal contest with imposed foreign values. There is, of course, a strong tradition of cultural accommodation among other Puerto Rican thinkers. The writings of Eugenio Fernandez Mendez clearly exemplify this tradition, and many supporters of Puerto Rico's commonwealth status share the same universalizing orientation. But the Puerto Rican intellectuals who have written most about the assimilation process in the United States all advance cultural nationalist views, advocating the preservation of minority cultural distinctions and rejecting what they see as the subjugation of colonial nationalities.
This cultural and political emphasis is appropriate, but the colonialist thinkers misdirect it, overlooking the class relations at work in both Puerto Rican and North American history. They pose the clash of national cultures as an absolute polarity, with each culture understood as static and undifferentiated. Yet both the Puerto Rican and North American traditions have been subject to constant challenge from cultural forces within their own societies, forces that may move toward each other in ways that cannot be written off as mere "assimilation." Consider, for example, the indigenous and Afro-Caribbean traditions in Puerto Rican culture and how they influence and are influenced by other Caribbean cultures and Black cultures in the United States. The elements of coercion and inequality, so central to cultural contact according to the colonialist framework, play no role in this kind of convergence of racially and ethnically different elements of the same social class.
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21. The author's main purpose is to
(A) criticize the emphasis on social standing in discussions of the assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the United States (B) support the thesis that assimilation has not been a benign process for Puerto Ricans (C) defend a view of the assimilation of Puerto Ricans that emphasizes the preservation of national culture (D) indicate deficiencies in two schools of thought on the assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the United States (E) reject the attempt to formulate a general frame. work for discussion of the assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the United States
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22. According to the passage, cultural accommodation is promoted by
(A) Eduardo Seda-Bonilla (B) Manuel Maldonado-Denis (C) the author of Divided Society (D) the majority of social scientists writing on immigration (E) many supporters of Puerto Rico's commonwealth status
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23. It can be inferred from the passage that a writer such as Eugenio Fernandez Mendez would most likely agree with which of the following statements concerning members of minority ethnic groups?
(A) It is necessary for the members of such groups to adapt to the culture of the majority. (B) The members of such groups generally encounter a culture that is static and undifferentiated. (C) Social mobility is the most important feature of the experience of members of such groups. (D) Social scientists should emphasize the cultural and political aspects of the experience of members of such groups. (E) The assimilation of members of such groups requires the forced abandonment of them authentic national roots.
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24. The author implies that the Puerto Rican writers who have written most about assimilation do NOT do which of the following?
(A) Regard assimilation as benign. (B) Resist cultural integration. (C) Describe in detail the process of assimilation. (D) Take into account the colonial nature of the Puerto Rican case. (E) Criticize supporters of Puerto Rico's commonwealth status.
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25. It can be inferred from the passage that the "colonialist" approach is so called because its practitioners
(A) support Puerto Rico's commonwealth status (B) have a strong tradition of cultural accommodation (C) emphasize the class relations at work in both Puerto Rican and North American history (D) pose the clash of national cultures as an absolute polarity in which each culture is understood as static and undifferentiated (E) regard the political relation of Puerto Rico to the United States as a significant factor in the experience of Puerto Ricans
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26. The author regards the emphasis by island-based writers on the cultural and political dimensions of assimilation as
(A) ironic (B) dangerous (C) fitting but misdirected (D) illuminating but easily misunderstood (E) peculiar but benign
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27. The example discussed in blue lines is intended by the author to illustrate a
(A) strength of the sociodemographic approach (B) strength of the "colonialist" approach (C) weakness of the sociodemographic approach (D) weakness of the "colonialist" approach (E) weakness of the cultural-accommodationist approach
Re: Discussion of the assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the Uni
[#permalink]
02 Jul 2019, 00:33
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21. In the first paragraph, first line, it is stated that assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the United states has focused on two factors: social standing and the loss of national cultures. The rest of the passage stresses on the deficiencies of these two factors.
22. In the second paragraph it is stated that writings of Eugenio Fernandez Mendez clearly exemplify the tradition of cultural accommodation and many supporters of Puerto Rico’s common-wealth status share the same universalizing orientation.
23. Eugenio Fernandez Mendez supports cultural accommodation, so option A is related to this. So option A is the correct answer.
24. In the beginning of the second paragraph, island-based writers view assimilation as the forced loss of natural culture. Which is in contrast with viewing the assimilation as benign.
25. This is an inference question, so you need to review and understand from the passage the inherent meaning. The practitioners who follow the colonialist approach view the forced loss of national culture in an unequal contest with imposed foreign values. That means, the regard the political relation of Puerto Rico to the United states as a significant factor.
26. Same is explained in the first line of the last paragraph.
27. Entire third paragraph discusses about the weekness of the colonialist approach. What did they misdirect or overlook. So correct answer is D.
Re: Discussion of the assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the Uni
[#permalink]
13 May 2020, 00:49
janani11 wrote:
23. Eugenio Fernandez Mendez supports cultural accommodation, so option A is related to this. So option A is the correct answer.
Doesn't cultural accomodation mean that cultures need to accomodate each other and co-exist? Where is it mentioned that cultural accomodation implies that the members of minority culture have to change or adapt their culture to the majority group?
Re: Discussion of the assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the Uni
[#permalink]
14 May 2020, 08:08
1
Flashinthepan wrote:
Carcass wrote:
Hi zohair,
which is the question among those of the passage you did not get ??
I can help you
23 and 25 please.
Plus I took a lot of time to solve. Don't know what to do to reduce time and increase comprehension.
Time management is something I cannot comment on. I will let Carcass do this. However, I can answer the two questions.
23. Eugenio Fernandez Mendez is actually one of the supporters of cultural accommodation. He would most likely agree with assimilation. Unlike other colonists thinkers who were against assimilation, he would support the idea of absorbing the culture of the dominant group.
25. The 'colonist' approach illuminates the idea that Puerto Ricans in the U.S. are treated different compared to Europeans. They have pointed out that the very fact other North American thinkers were failed to recognize. The colonists thinkers maintained that Puerto Rico "political status" with the U.S is the main reason why Puerto Rican culture was considered as subordinates compared to European counterparts.
Re: Discussion of the assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the Uni
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14 May 2020, 12:48
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Thank you for trusting me.
About time management you can watch all the videos on the internet or read all the books as well. However, the problem boils down to two main factors or scenarios
1) I do not understand what I am reading. 2) I understand but I need too much time to solve it.
I assume that the questions are answered correctly in both cases (even though in the first scenario is quite improbable). I assert this because the real problem is the passage, NOT the questions.
1) In this scenario, no strategy might be applied successfully. If a student does not understand what he/she reads how he/she might apply a/the strategy/ies
In this stage, he/she should raise the bar of his/her standard English. No compromise on this
2) In this stage, a strategy could save partially the prank. However, the number of correct questions picked up depending on the difficulty of the passage itself
There is always a direct proportion and interplay between your English and the habit to read difficult reading, essays and so on and the question you get correct.
A by-product of all the process above is the DECREASE of time. AUTOMATICALLY. No room for errors in what I am saying
More practice when you have bad habits will not help you
Re: Discussion of the assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the Uni
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20 May 2020, 14:49
Expert Reply
This cultural and political emphasis is appropriate, but the colonialist thinkers misdirect it, overlooking the class relations at work in both Puerto Rican and North American history.
The author regards the emphasis by island-based writers on the cultural and political dimensions of assimilation as
(A) ironic (B) dangerous (C) fitting (appropriate) but misdirected (misdirect) (D) illuminating but easily misunderstood (E) peculiar but benign
Re: Discussion of the assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the Uni
[#permalink]
23 Aug 2023, 21:35
1
Summary
Para 1: assimilation of Puerto Rico with USA is seen on 2 factors a. Social status b. Lost of national interest According to north America, the social status improves but according to some folks of Puerto Rico, their status suppressed Para2: On the lost of national interest, people of the country have conflicting views Para 3: But the Author concede that it isn’t forceful but the culture of both the countries attracted to each other.
A1: (D) Since Author stand is mild and reflecting on the alternate theory, so the correct answer is option D A2: (E) para 2 A3: (A) He supported cultural accomodation with the majority group A4: (A) they do not support cultural accomodation A5: (E), option D was a trap answer because option D denotes what they do and they do it because they think the process is a significant one and thus option (E) is correct A6: (C) this is mentioned in para 3 A7: (D) In para 3, author replied to what colonist do or think
gmatclubot
Re: Discussion of the assimilation of Puerto Ricans in the Uni [#permalink]