Here I don’t see any evidence of the author “criticizing the supporters of Puerto Rico’s commonwealth status” (Option E) . So if there is no evidence does that mean one can assume that the author does do it? I don’t seem to be able to understand where this view of assuming assimilation as something harmful is coming from in this passage (since option A is correct).
For this question, based on the line “But the Puerto Rican intellectuals…advocating the preservation of minority cultural distinction…nationalities.” (with emboldened words being evidence); wouldn’t it imply that assimilation would require the forced abandonment of their roots (Option E)? Or is that too far-fetched?
I thought this passage relies on too much outside knowledge of terms like “colonialism” and “nationalism” btw and hope this kind of stuff is not on the current GRE.
The passage says that Puerto Rican intellectuals writing about assimilation support preserving minority cultural identity and reject what they see as the domination of colonial nationalities.
That shows they’re clearly critical of assimilation—but it doesn’t mean they attack people who support commonwealth status, or that they claim assimilation requires people to abandon their roots.
Instead, they’re pushing back against the effects of assimilation, not necessarily the intentions of those who support it.
So why is Option A right in Q1, and not E?
Option A says they think assimilation is harmless—that’s definitely wrong, since they view it as a form of subjugation.
Option E says they criticize the supporters of commonwealth status—but the passage never directly says that. They criticize the idea, not the people.
That’s the key difference: Option E goes beyond what’s actually stated.
And in Q2, is Option E too much of a stretch?
Yeah, a bit. It talks about the “forced abandonment” of national roots, but the passage only mentions a loss of culture—not that it’s forced or inevitable.
GRE wants you to stick closely to the text. If an option adds strong language that the passage doesn’t really support, it’s probably there to trap you.
Thanks for your reply Max. I am convinced by your answer for Q2 as being E. It seems like a good choice. For Q1 however, you are right that for E the passage never directly states that. They don’t criticize the people. Hence, why they “do NOT do it” (what the question asks). But you are right in that A does seem to be more central to the passage.
