This Mini-Test consists of a six questions, all based the same reading passage. Select your responses by clicking on the buttons. Limit your time to 9 minutes. . NOTE: This page contains everything you need for this Mini-Test (including explanations). So you can save the file if you wish, then test yourself off-line; or you can print the page and use pencil and paper to test yourself..
DIRECTIONS: The following passage is followed by questions about its content. After reading the passage, select the best answer to each question among the five choices. Answer all questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
... The nub of the restorationist critique of preservationism is the claim that it rests on an unhealthy dualism that conceives nature and humankind as radically distinct and opposed to each other. Dissatisfaction with dualism has for some time figured prominently in the unhappiness of environmentalists with mainstream industrial society, as in the writings of Carolyn Merchant and Theodore Roszak. However, the writings of the restorationists themselves— particularly, William Jordan and Frederick Turner—offer little evidence to support this indictment. In their view, preservationists are imbued with the same basic mind-set as the industrial mainstream, the only difference being that the latter exalts humans over nature while the former elevates nature over humans. While it is perhaps puzzling that Jordan and Turner do not see that there is no logic that requires dualism as a philosophical underpinning for preservation, more puzzling is the sharpness and relent- lessness of their attack on preservationists, accentu- ated by the fact that they offer little, if any, criticism of those who have plundered the natural world. ... The crucial question, however, about the restorationist outlook has to do with the degree to which the restora- tionist program is itself faithful to the first principle of restoration: that nature and humanity are fundamentally united rather than separate. Rejecting the old domination model, which sees humans as over nature, restoration theory champions a model of community participation. Yet some of the descriptions that Jordan and Turner give of what restorationists are actually up to—for example, Turner's description of humans as "the lords of creation," or Jordan's statement that "the fate and well being of the biosphere depend ultimately on us and our relationship with it"—do not cohere well with the community partici- pation model. ... Another holistic model—namely, that of nature as an organism—might be more serviceable to the restorationists. As with the community model, the "organic" model pictures nature as a system of interconnected parts. A fundamental difference, however, is that in an organism the parts are wholly subservient to the life of the organism. If we could think of the biosphere as a single living organism and could identify humans with the brain (or the DNA), or control center, we would have a model that more closely fits the restorationists' view. ... However, to consider humans as the control center of the living earth is to ascribe to them a dominating role in nature. Is this significantly different from the old- fashioned domination model? In both systems humans hold the place of highest authority and power in the world. Also, neither view recognizes any limits to the scope and range of legitimate human manipulation in the world. This does not mean that there are no constraints; only beneficial manipulation should be undertaken. But it does not mean that nothing is off-limits. A further parallel is that, because the fate of the world rests on humans, they must have a clear idea of what needs to be done.
1. The author's primary purpose in the passage is to . ...(A) examine the similarities and differences among ..............models for environmental philosophies ...(B) formulate a new philosophical model of the ..............relationship between humans and their ..............environment ...(C) critique a modern-day environmental philosophy ...(D) argue that one particular environmental philosophy ..............is more workable than competing approaches ...(E) demonstrate the limited usefulness of models as ..............the basis for environmental philosophies ....Answer · Passage
2. The author of the passage would probably agree that ....preservationists . ...(A) are not critical enough of those who have plun- ..............dered the natural world ...(B) base their ideas on an unhealthy dualism ...(C) have the same basic mind-set as the industrial ..............mainstream ...(D) have been unfairly criticized by restorationists ...(E) have been faithful to the principles upon which ..............their ideas are based ....Answer · Passage
3. Which of the following best expresses the function of the ....first paragraph in relation to the passage as a whole? . ...(A) to establish the parameters of an ensuing debate ...(B) to identify problem areas within a school of ..............thought, which are then explored in greater detail ...(C) to discuss secondary issues as a prelude to a more ..............detailed examination of a primary issue ...(D) to provide an historical backdrop for a discussion ..............of modern-day issues ...(E) to introduce opposing viewpoints, which are then ..............evaluated ....Answer · Passage
4. In asserting that the organic model might be "more ....serviceable to the restorationists" (line 36), the author ....implies that . ...(A) the descriptions by Turner and Jordan of the ..............restorationists' program conform more closely to ..............the organic model than to the communitypartici- ..............pation model ...(B) the organic model is more consistent than the ..............community participation model with the principle ..............of restoration ...(C) the organic model is more consistent with the ..............restorationists' agenda than with the pres- ..............ervationists' program ...(D) holistic models are more useful than the ..............dualist model to the restorationists ...(E) the organic model, unlike the community ..............participation model, represents nature as a ..............system of interconnected parts ....Answer · Passage
5. Which of the following models would the author most ....likely agree is least like the other models listed below? . ...(A) domination model ...(B) holistic model ...(C) community participation model ...(D) dualist model ...(E) organic model ....Answer · Passage
6. Which of the following best expresses the author's ....primary criticism of the restorationists? . ...(A) They fail to recognize any limits as to the scope of ..............legitimate human manipulation of nature. ...(B) They assign to humans a controlling role in the ..............world. ...(C) They reject the most workable model for the rela- ..............tionship between humans and nature. ...(D) Their critique of preservationism is not well ..............supported. ...(E) Their program does not coincide with their ..............principles. ....Answer · Passage
The correct response to Question 1 is (C). Although the passage does digress in the last paragraph (suggesting a possible transition to another area of discussion), the passage is devoted mainly to a critical analysis of the restorationists' environmental philosophy, as exemplified by Turner and Jordan.
(A) is too narrow. Admittedly, the author does discuss (in the third and fourth paragraphs) the similarities and differences between the organic and community participation models. While response (A) would appear to encompass this discussion, (A) does not embrace the author's larger purpose: to critique the restorationist philosophy.
(B) is too narrow and is not well supported. Admittedly, the author does introduce (in the third paragraph) an alternative model—i.e., the organic model. However, the author's limited purpose in introducing the organic model is to underscore the author's broader point that the restorationists' program is inconsistent with their principles. Moreover, the author makes no claim to having formulated the organic model or that it is a "new" model, as (B) suggests.
(D) distorts the author's purpose. Admittedly, the author does explore the possibility that a model other than the community participation model might more accurately reflect the restorationists' agenda. However, the author's point here is that another model might be more consistent with the restorationists' program, not that one particular model is more workable or otherwise preferable for everyone. For all the reader knows, the author might be a mainstream industrialist who opposes all pro-environment policies.
(E) calls for an unwarranted inference as to the author's purpose. Based upon the last paragraph, the passage might conceivably continue by asserting that all environmental models are problematic and therefore of limited usefulness. However, whether the author would continue in this vein is speculative. Since the passage itself does not include such a discussion, (E) is not a viable response.
The correct response to Question 2 is (D). In the first paragraph, the author asserts that a preservationist need not have a dualist view, and therefore the argument of Turner and Jordan that the preservationists are also "unhealthy" dualists is an unfair claim. Response (D) is also supported later in the first paragraph, where the author criticizes Turner and Jordan for the "sharpness and relentlessness of their attack on preservationists." The author implies that other groups (e.g., "those who have plundered the natural world") are more deserving of sharp criticism than the preservationists. In this sense as well, then, the author would probably agree that Turner and Jordan have unfairly criticized the preservationists.
(A) confuses the information in the passage. The author suggests that it is the restorationists such as Turner and Jordan (not the preservationists) who are not critical enough of those that have plundered the natural world.
(B) and (C) confuse the author's viewpoint with the viewpoint of others mentioned in the passage. It is the restorationists, not the author, who claim that the preservationists base their ideas on an unhealthy dualism and who suffer from the same mind-set as the industrial mainstream.
(E) confuses the information in the passage and calls for speculation. First, the crucial question that the author poses (in lines 22-25) is whether the restorationists, not the preservationists, have been faithful to their principles. Second, although the author asserts that the restorationists have not been faithful to their principle, it is unfair to infer that the preservationists have been faithful to theirs.
The correct response to Question 3 is (C). The author refers in the first sentence of the second paragraph to the "crucial question," signaling that the primary concern of the passage is to follow. Accordingly, the first paragraph introduces the topic by discussing non-crucial questions.
(A) is wholly unsupported and runs contrary to the passage. Although the first paragraph does establish parameters insofar as it identifies the topic of the passage, in no sense does it identify which issues are subject to debate and which are not. To the contrary, the primary issue (whether the restorationists have been faithful to their own principle) is not even mentioned in the first paragraph.
(B) is only partially supported. Although in the first paragraph the author does indeed identify some problems with the restorationist critique of preservationism, rather than exploring these problems in greater detail, the author turns in subsequent paragraphs to another, more "crucial," problem.
(D) distorts the information in the passage. Although the author does include some "historical" background insofar as the environmentalists' unhappiness with mainstream industrial society (lines 5-6) is mentioned using the past tense, aside from this single reference to past events, the first paragraph speaks in terms of the present day.
(E) distorts the overall structure. The first paragraph does not really discuss opposing viewpoints but rather critiques one viewpoint: the restorationists' view of preservationism. Moreover, in subsequent paragraphs, the author makes no attempt to evaluate this viewpoint.
The correct response to Question 4 is (A). In the preceding sentence, the author asserts that Turner's and Jordan's descriptions of restorationist activites "do not cohere well with the community participation model." By following this assertion with the suggestion that another model might be more serviceable, it is reasonably inferable that restorationists' activities are more consistent with this other model than with the community participation model.
(B) confuses the information in this portion of the passage. The author is concerned with which model more closely conforms to the restorationists' program, not which model better conforms to their principle.
(C) confuses the information in the passage—specifically, by bringing in irrelevant information. The author is not concerned at all in this portion of the passage with the preservationists. No attempt is made here or anywhere else in the passage to relate the organic model to the preservationists' program.
(D) is somewhat consistent with the information in the passage, but it does not respond to the question. The author does identify the organic model as one type of "holistic" model; however, the author asserts that it may be more serviceable than another holistic model (i.e., the community participation model), not the dualist model (which is not a holistic model).
(E) is partially supported by the passage, but (E) also contradicts the passage. The author does indeed assert that the organic model represents nature as a system of interconnected parts. However, according to the author, so does the community participation model (lines 37-39).
The correct response to Question 5 is (D). The author finds some point of similarity among all other models mentioned (see below). Therefore, by elimination, (D) is the best response.
(A), (B), and (E) are not viable. The author points out (see last paragraph) several parallels between the organic model (a holistic model) and the domination model.
(C) is not a viable response, since the author points out in the third paragraph that the community participation and organic models both picture nature as a system of interconnected parts. For this additional reason, (E) is also not viable.
The correct response to Question 6 is (E). The "crucial" (primary) question for the author involves the degree to which the restorationists are true to their first principle (lines 22-26). The author then claims that they are not so true in that their program "does not cohere well" with their principle (lines 33-34). Since this issue is "crucial" to the author, it is reasonable to assert that this criticism is the author's "primary" one.
(D) is the second-best response. Although the author does indeed criticize the restorationists on this count (in the first paragraph), this criticism is not the author's "primary" one, since the author raises and answers a more "crucial question" in the second paragraph.
(A) and (B) are supportable statements, but they do not respond to the question. Although the author ascribes the characteristics mentioned in (A) and (B) to the restorationists (as well as to the dominationists), the author does not identify this characteristic as a point of criticism.
(C) is unsupported by the information in the passage. The author neither states nor implies that one model is more workable than others (except insofar as one model might be more appropriate than another for a particular school of thought) or which model that would be. In addition, although the passage is clear that the restorationists have embraced the community participation model, the passage is not at all explicit that they have "rejected" any particular other model (except for the dualist model).
