Reading Comprehension

Some historians contend that conditions
in the United States during the
Second World War gave rise to a
dynamic wartime alliance between
trade unions and the African American
community, an alliance that advanced
the cause of civil rights. They conclude
that the postwar demise of this
vital alliance constituted a lost oppor-
tunity for the civil rights movement that
followed the war. Other scholars,
however, have portrayed organized
labor as defending all along the relatively
privileged position of White
workers relative to African American
workers. Clearly, these two perspectives
are not easily reconcilable, but
the historical reality is not reducible
to one or the other.

Unions faced a choice between
either maintaining the prewar status
quo or promoting a more inclusive
approach that sought for all members
the right to participate in the internal
affairs of unions, access to skilled
and high-paying positions within the
occupational hierarchy, and protection
against management’s arbitrary
authority in the workplace. While
union representatives often voiced
this inclusive ideal, in practice unions
far more often favored entrenched
interests. The accelerating development
of the civil rights movement
following the Second World War
exacerbated the unions’ dilemma,
forcing trade unionists to confront
contradictions in their own practices.



Q1. The passage is primarily concerned with
A. providing a context within which to evaluate opposing viewpoints about a
historical phenomenon
B. identifying a flawed assumption underlying one interpretation of a historical
phenomenon
C. assessing the merits and weaknesses of a controversial theory about a historical
phenomenon
D. discussing the historical importance of the development of a wartime alliance
E. evaluating evidence used to support a particular interpretation of a historical
phenomenon
Answer:
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Q2:
According to the passage, the historians mentioned in line 1 and the scholars mentioned
in line 11 disagree about the
A. contribution made by organized labor to the war effort during the Second World
War
B. issues that union members considered most important during the Second World
War
C. relationship between unions and African Americans during the Second World
War
D. effect of the Second World War on the influence of unions in the workplace
E. extent to which African Americans benefited from social and political changes
following the Second World War
Answer:
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Q3:
Which of the following best describes the purpose of the first sentence (lines 20-29) in
the second paragraph in the passage?
A. To summarize a situation confronted by unions during the Second World War
B. To summarize the role of unions in the workplace during the Second World War
C. To explain the philosophy supported by most unions during the Second World
War
D. To assess the effect of the growth of the civil rights movement on unions during
the Second World War
E. To present a criticism of the unions’ approach to representing workers during the
Second World War
Answer:
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Q4:
Which of the following best summarizes the opinion of the author of the passage
regarding the two points of view presented in the first paragraph (lines 1-19) ?
A. Neither point of view reflects the views of certain African American historians on
trade unions during the Second World War.
B. Neither point of view reflects the full complexity of the historical reality.
C. One point of view is based on more reliable research than is the other.
D. Both points of view have misinterpreted recent research on trade unions during
the Second World War.
E. The two points of view can be readily harmonized into a coherent interpretation.

Please explain how u reached the correct answer..