Question while-
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Political scientist Graham Allison is known for his Thucydides trap theory.
- Allison’s theory states that whenever “a rising power is threatening to displace a ruling power,” conflict is likely.
- The theory is based on Thucydides’s explanation of the conflict between Athens and Sparta.
- Thucydides wrote that “the rise of Athens and the fear this instilled in Sparta” made conflict “inevitable.”
- History professor Edmund Stewart recently challenged the historical basis of the theory.
- Stewart claimed that Athens was not a rising power and that the rivals experienced a “clash of cultures” instead.
The student wants to use a quotation to challenge Thucydides’s explanation of the conflict between Athens and Sparta. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
According to Allison’s Thucydides trap theory, whenever “a rising power is threatening to displace a ruling power,” conflict is likely.
Thucydides wrote that conflict between the two powers was “inevitable,” although Stewart later challenged the historical basis of this claim.
According to Stewart, a “clash of cultures” between Athens and Sparta caused the conflict, not Athens’s rise.
Thucydides explained that conflict was caused by “the rise of Athens and the fear this instilled in Sparta,” but Allison disagreed, seeing the conflict as an example of the Thucydides trap.
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: Political scientist Graham Allison is
Hard-difficulty · SAT Reading & Writing · Rhetorical Synthesis — Reconciling conflicting results. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.
Answer explanation
Choice C is the best answer. Using a quotation from Stewart, the sentence challenges Thucydides’s explanation that the rise of Athens caused the conflict, suggesting that it was instead caused by a "clash of cultures."
Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence uses a quotation, the quotation doesn’t challenge Thucydides’s explanation of the conflict. Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence mentions that Stewart challenged Thucydides’s explanation of the conflict, it doesn’t use a quotation to challenge Thucydides’s explanation: the quoted word "inevitable" is from Thucydides. Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence appears to refute Thucydides’s explanation, it does so in a way that misrepresents the information in the notes; Allison’s Thucydides trap theory is based on Thucydides’s explanation of the conflict. Thus, Allison’s theory affirms, rather than challenges, Thucydides’s explanation.
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