SAT #13 Reading (Question 39)

Question

Based on the two passages, Douglass and Dana differ in their views of the effect of the Civil War in that Douglass believes that the war has [...]?

Answer 1

Answer Choice A is the correct answer because Lines 40-44, which say, “This is the hour. Our streets are in mourning, tears are falling at every fireside, and under the chastisement of this Rebellion we have almost come up to the point of conceding this great, this all-important right of suffrage,” tell us that Douglass believes that the Civil War has allowed the prospect of extending black men’s rights to be more plausible. Lines 64-65 say that, “Besides all that, [Southerners] look upon the negro as the cause of their defeat and humiliation…,” which tells us that Dana believes that the South blames black men for their loss inthe Civil War. These Lines most closely match Answer Choice A which says that Douglass believes that the war “created a political climate in which the extension of black men’s rights seems more feasible, while Dana believes that such an extension faces opposition from those who blame black men for the South’s defeat.” Answer Choice B is incorrect because Douglass doesn’t make a point about the employment prospects of black men and Dana doesn’t suggest that Southerners now think that black workers can play an important role in the economy, but rather that they’re the cause of their loss. Answer Choice C is incorrect because Dana believes that white Southerners still see black men as inferior and not as their equals. Answer Choice D is incorrect because Dana doesn’t make any claim about the necessity of war memories fading for the expansion of black men’s rights to go forward.

How to solve this? The Question asks, “Based on the two passages, Douglass and Dana differ in their views of the effect of the Civil War in that Douglass believes that the war has [...]?” To solve this Question, we should first go back to either Passage and look for evidence that tells us clearly the view that either author has on the Civil War.

Going back to Passage 1 first, we may have difficulty identifying any clear point that Douglass makes about the war. However, if we jump to Passage 2, we should find Lines 64-65 which say, “Besides all that, [Southerners] look upon the negro as the cause of their defeat and humiliation.” [From here, we can go down to the answer choices to look for those that will match this claim that Dana makes, and then use that choice to help us identify texts in Passage 1.] [...].