Reading Comprehension

In 1964 the United States federal government
began attempts to eliminate racial discrimination in
employment and wages: the United States
Congress enacted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act,
(5) prohibiting employers from making employment
decisions on the basis of race. In 1965 President
Johnson issued Executive Order 11,246, which
prohibited discrimination by United States
government contractors and emphasized direct
(10) monitoring of minority representation in
contractors' work forces

Nonetheless, proponents of the "continuous
change" hypothesis believe that United States
federal law had a marginal impact on the economic
(15) progress made by black people in the United States
between 1940 and 1975. Instead they emphasize
slowly evolving historical forces, such as long-term
trends in education that improved segregated
schools for black students during the 1940s and
(20) were operative during and after the 1960s. They
argue that as the quality of black schools improved
relative to that of white schools, the earning
potential of those attending black schools increased
relative to the earning potential of those attending
(25) white schools.

However, there is no direct evidence linking
increased quality of under funded segregated black
schools to these improvements in earning potential
. In fact, even the evidence on relative schooling
(30) quality is ambiguous. Although in the mid-1940s
term length at black schools was approaching that
in white schools, the rapid growth in another
important measure of school quality, school
expenditures, may be explained by increases in
(35) teachers' salaries, and, historically, such increases
have not necessarily increased school quality
. Finally, black individuals in all age groups, even
those who had been educated at segregated schools
before the 1940s, experienced post-1960 increases
(40) in their earning potential. If improvements in the
quality of schooling were an important determinant
of increased returns, only those workers who could
have benefited from enhanced school quality should
have received higher returns. The relative

(45) improvement in the earning potential of educated
black people of all age groups in the United States
is more consistent with a decline in employment
discrimination.
An additional problem for continuity theorists is
(50) how to explain the rapid acceleration of black
economic progress in the United States after 1964.
Education alone cannot account for the rate of
change. Rather, the coincidence of increased
United States government antidiscrimination
(55) pressure in the mid-1960s with the acceleration in
the rate of black economic progress beginning in
1965 argues against the continuity theorists' view.
True, correlating federal intervention and the
acceleration of black economic progress might be
(60) incorrect. One could argue that changing attitudes
about employment discrimination sparked both the
adoption of new federal policies and the rapid
acceleration in black economic progress. Indeed,
the shift in national attitude that made possible the
(65) enactment of Title VII was in part produced by the
persistence of racial discrimination in the southern
United States. However, the fact that the law had
its greatest effect in the South, in spite of the
vigorous resistance of many Southern leaders,
(70) suggests its importance for black economic progress.



.



22. According to the passage, Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act differs from Executive Order 11. 246 in that Title VII
(A) monitors employers to ensure minority representation
(B) assesses the work forces of government contractors
(C) eliminates discriminatory disparities in wages
(D) focuses on determining minority representation in government
(E) governs hiring practices in a wider variety of workplaces


23. Which one of the following statements about schooling in the United States during the mid-1940s can be inferred from the passage?
(A) School expenditures decreased for white schools.
(B) The teachers in white schools had more time to cover material during a school year than did teachers in black schools.
(C) The basic curriculum of white schools was similar to the curriculum at black schools.
(D) White schools did not change substantially in quality.
(E) Although the salaries of teachers in black schools increased, they did not keep pace with the salaries of teachers in white schools.

24. The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) explain why an argument about black economic progress is incomplete
(B) describe the impact of education on black economic progress
(C) refute an argument about the factors influencing black economic progress
(D) describe black economic progress before and after the 1960s
(E) clarify the current view about the factors influencing black economic progress

25. Which one of the following best states the position of proponents of the "continuous change" hypothesis regarding the relationship between law and racial discrimination?
(A) Individuals cannot be forced by legal means to behave in nondiscriminatory ways.
(B) Discriminatory practices in education have been effectively altered by legal means.
(C) Legislation alone has had little effect on racially discriminatory behavior.
(D) Legislation is necessary, but not sufficient, to achieve changes in racial altitudes.
(E) Legislation can only exacerbate conflicts about racially discriminatory behavior.

26. The author concedes that "correlating federal intervention and the acceleration of black economic progress might be incorrect" (lines 58-60) primarily in order to
(A) strengthen the overall argument by anticipating an objection
(B) introduce another factor that may have influenced black economic progress
(C) concede a point to the continuity theorists
(D) change the overall argument in light of the views of the continuity theorists
(E) introduce a discussion about the impact of federal intervention on discrimination

27. The "continuous change" hypothesis, as it is presented in the passage, can best be applied to which one of the following situations?
(A) Homes are found for many low-income families because the government funds a project to build subsidized housing in an economically depressed area.
(B) A depressed economy does not cause the closing of small businesses in a local community because the government provides special grants to aid these businesses.
(C) Unemployed people are able to obtain jobs because private contractors receive tax incentives for constructing office buildings in an area with a high unemployment rate.
(D) A housing shortage is remedied because the changing state of the economy permits private investors to finance construction in a depressed area.
(E) A community's sanitation needs are met because neighborhood organizations lobby aggressively for government assistance.

Whats the source?
my answers: CBCCBD
time:9:03 mins

V nice rohu. You got 4 out of 6 in 9 minutes.

OA EBCCAD

Source : LSAT

sourabh33 wrote:V nice rohu. You got 4 out of 6 in 9 minutes.

OA EBCCAD

Source : LSAT

Sourabh,

any idea how can we arrive upon E for 1st question? I could figure out the last but one, but unable to relate to this?

Cheers,

Q1. According to the passage, Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act differs from Executive Order 11. 246 in that Title VII

Now in the passage

the United States Congress enacted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, prohibiting employers from making employment decisions on the basis of race. In 1965 President
Johnson issued Executive Order 11,246, which prohibited discrimination by United States government contractors and emphasized direct monitoring of minority representation in contractors' work forces

A. Title VII does not monitors, it prohibits employers

B. Title VII does not assesses the work force, in fact EO 11246 prohibits discrimination BY govt.
contractors

C. Title VII talks about Prohibiting employment decisions on basis of race. Now disparity in wages could be a subset employment decisions, but it may not entire set. Still I would keep this as a contender in case if i were not able to find a better answer.

D. Representation in govt. is out of scope

E. Now, Title VII talks about prohibiting employer (note the word employers. All workplaces could be covered under the definition of workplaces) versus EO 11246 talks just about US state government contracts. Basis the above, I think E should be the best answer.