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LSAT Preptest 153, Section 4, Question 22

Passage 4: Grand Theories

Explanation

A. While the passage discusses the inadequacy of grand theories, it does not specifically argue that they were serviceable in the nineteenth century but inadequate for the twentieth century; the focus is on their overall explanatory limitations and not limited to a specific era.


B. The passage critiques the deterministic nature of grand theories, but it does not specifically claim that they failed to explain the era in which they were developed.


C. The passage does describe grand theories as seductive in their logic and acknowledges the political injustices they have been linked to, but this is not presented as the main point.


D. (Correct Response) The passage conveys the idea that the decline of grand theories shows the limitations of seeing history as fully determined and underscores the importance of historical contingency, as stated in the concluding sentence.


E. While the passage mentions that grand theories provided narrative satisfaction, it emphasizes this less than the overarching limitations of grand theories and the importance of recognizing historical contingency.

The passage argues that while grand theories offered a deterministic view of history, their decline highlights the need to move beyond such a view and to embrace a perspective that allows for historical contingency, as noted in the final sentences.

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