<p>This may take a minute or two to answer, but I’m going to need someone’s help! Here are the short passage and question/answer choices:</p>
<pre><code> Sociologists have long believed that our concept of the “self” is a social construct shaped by others’ expectations of how we are to behave in a given milieu. Erving Goffman in The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life argues that we have many selves he likens to actor’s roles and that we shift from one to another throughout our daily lives in response to these different situations. For instance, a woman in her thirties may play “mother”, “wife”, “customer”, and “manager”, depending on where she is. At home she may be expected to be nurturing and self-sacrificing when playing the role of “mother”. Yet these behaviors are neither expected nor appropriate for her role as “manager” at work. There, she would be expected to behave as a leader, wielding her authority over others in a more autocratic manner. Goffman argues that these different behaviors are not natural facets of her personality, but theatrical performances of socially defined “characters”.
</code></pre>
<li><p>If the author were to add another paragraph to the end of this passage, which of the following would be most appropriate?</p>
<p>(A) A discussion of behaviors that are not socially defined
(B) A disparagement of Erving Goffman’s theory
(C) An explanation of how social roles are created
(D) An evaluation of the merits of Goffman’s theory when compared with long held sociological beliefs
(E) An anecdote from the author’s personal experience</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I’m having a bit of trouble on this question (and I’m sure it is considered to be easy, but I always have difficulty in the Critical Reading section! :(). Also, are questions like this one frequently show up on the SAT? Why did you pick the answer that you did? Thanks for your time (and I hope by putting this up, I am helping myself as well as others that may be confused too!). Thanks!!</p>
<p>I think the answer is D.
The passage opens by saying that there is a "long believed... concept of the 'self'".. but the rest of the passage is about Goffman and his theory of many selves... so we need to relate that back to the topic sentence.. which would happen in the next paragraph..
makes sense to me but i could be wrong.</p>
<p>i agree with the choice D. I hate those type of questions, and I ESPECIALLY hate the passages about art. I always get about 2 wrong in a question set that focuses on an art passage. Like in practice test 4 in the CB blue book. That section brought me down from a 750ish to a 690ish.</p>
<p>I skimmed the blue book, but could not find that passage anywhere within it. Where did you find it and what is the correct answer according to it? If you tell me where you found it, perhaps I can give you an answer explanation according to the CB.</p>
<p>Sorry for not posting where I got this question from, but it is from PR's *Cracking the New SAT<a href="page%20380-%20first%20practice%20test">/i</a>. The answer and explanation is as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>C C is correct because it continues the discussion of social roles and the expectations that shape them. B and D are incorrect because the author never takes a position on Goffman's theory. A is incorrect because the focus of the passage is on socially defined roles. To discuss behaviors that are not socially defined would not be in keeping with the focus of the passage. E is irrelevant. The purpose of the passage is to present Goffman's theory, not to show its relationship to the author's own life.</li>
</ol>
<p>Perhaps this question is just out of my league, and maybe I just don't like it because it is not as clear cut as I had hoped. If anyone could justify Princeton Review's answer and maybe discuss whether it is just a difficult question or not very valid as an SAT question. Thank you and sorry for not posting sooner.</p>
<p>Makes sense once you realize the author's tone is neutral during the entire passage and thus choices pertaining to a paragraph in which the author expresses personal opinions would most likely be irrelevant. Choice C is the only choice which works.</p>
<p>It seems like the only way to come to the correct answer, C, is through process of elimination. To me it does not look like too great of an answer, but then again, it would be ETS's answer had it been on the actual test. Would this question have the "hard" difficulty? How often do these types of questions appear on the actual SAT? Thanks again and any more feedback would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Is this an actual SAT question or one from PR? Whatever the case, it's a ****ty one. Myself, I would have chosen E, as this choice would expound on the idea whether "'self' is a social construct" or not. Moreover, the last paragraph ended with an indefinite example and statement.</p>
<p>I had a hunch it was C, but I wanted to just be sure when I asked from what test it came from. PR questions shouldn't be used as a substitute for real questions if you can avoid it.</p>
<p>This is from PR's Cracking the New SAT. I agree with your comment on the quality of the question, but I need more opinions. I can't distinguish whether this question is just really difficult or, as you say... just really bad! Also, does this type of question come up often? Any more comments or insight into any part of the C. Reading section would be great!</p>
<p>P.S.- Does anyone recommend any way of approaching such a question? Any suggestions on how to approach any C. Reading questions? I find to have the most difficulty in this section.</p>
<p>If no one else has any opinions, I'll just assume that this was not particularly the best question in the book. Also, does anyone have any general suggestions on how to approach a long passage and short passage for the Critical Reading section? I have read through PR's prep book, but it is not as informative as I had hoped. Much of the book is geared for average to above average scoring students, thus I find that much of the technique relies on eliminating certain answers and guessing instead of approaching each question with a more solid method (especially in math with its estimating numbers- very unreliable especially with the brutal curve). Thanks and tell me if you believe I am wrong on any of what I have written so far.</p>
<p>No, you're absolutely right. PR is widely considered to be one of the worst prep books on this forum. According to this forum, grammatix is the best source to learn how to approach CR passages. I happen to disagree, and will go ahead and put in a good word on the RocketReview book instead. Whatever the case, if you REALLY want to get the highest score possible, you're going to have to get as many sources as you can. You then take those sources and apply them to REAL QUESTIONS from REAL TESTS to pick up on REAL PATTERNS from the REAL SAT. </p>
<p>For more information, read up on "xiggi's post" stickied at the top of this forum. It should explain everything you need to know to get the 2400.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. I'm still wondering whether I should purchase the Grammatix book, because I hear it is an effective prep book, however I fear that I will not have enough time to take advantage of all that it has to offer. I am taking the SAT I's for the last time in October. Does RocketReview focus mainly on Reading, Writing, Math, or all topics? Where can I purchase the RocketReview prep book and is it available at stores? Thanks and your input is greatly appreciated!!</p>
<p>You have plenty of time! Grammatix is a really really short test prep book, there is no verbose writing anywhere (it really gets down the point). The opposite of that is RR, where the author talks unnecessarily longer than he has to on pretty much everything. They are both really good, but if you are worried about time I'd go with grammatix. RocketReview should be part of your collection though with all of the time you have. You can get RR off of amazon, by the way, but I got mine at a barnes and noble in OKC.</p>
<p>I just want to make sure I order the right book! Also, I have been told that when I purchase the Grammatix electronic book for $49.95, I can e-mail Mike and request the free hardback book (a $10 dollar value) by acknowledging the fact that I am a member of CC forums. I just want to be clear on this, and what do I say in my e-mail exactly?! Thanks!!</p>
<p>"Sociologists have long believed that our concept of the "self" is a social construct shaped by others' expectations of how we are to behave in a given milieu."</p>
<p>The key thing here is that both this statement and Goffman agree that the idea of a "'self' is a social construct shaped by others' expectations...milieu." Do process of elimination with regards to the most "appropriate", and you will find yourself left with C.</p>
<p>I wouldn't worry about this question if I were you. I have taken plenty of practice tests and 2 of the real tests and I don't ever recall seeing a question like this on the real tests. I took a PR course also and found it effective for math, but beyond terrible for CR and writing.</p>
<p>I agree with the others in that you should purchase grammatix. I know I say this in a lot of threads and it gets redundant, but it has helped me more than any other prep book I have used. CR was my worst section (mid 500s) by far, but after literally a day or two of reading it I am able to answer the questions easily. I just took a CR section yesterday and only missed one question. I know it sounds cliche and like it would be off some stupid infomercial, but honestly the differences I have noticed in using grammatix is like night and day compared to how I answered CR questions before the test. </p>
<p>I do not have experience with rocket review, but if you need help in critical reading I would definitley go with grammatix and stay away from PR and their practice tests.</p>