Some Historians Contend that Conditions in the United States During the Second World War GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Questions

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 opportunity 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.

‘Some Historians Contend that Conditions in the United States During the Second World War GMAT Reading Comprehension contains a passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension. This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 3 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed to test candidates’ abilities in understanding, analysing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. The passage is primarily concerned with

1. providing a context within which to evaluate opposing viewpoints about a historical phenomenon
2. identifying a flawed assumption underlying one interpretation of a historical phenomenon
3. assessing the merits and weaknesses of a controversial theory about a historical phenomenon
4. discussing the historical importance of the development of a wartime alliance
5. evaluating evidence used to support a particular interpretation of a historical phenomenon

2. According to the passage, the historians (at the beginning) and the scholars (highlight) disagree about the

1. contribution made by organized labor to the war effort during the Second World War
2. issues that union members considered most important during the Second World War
3. relationship between unions and African Americans during the Second World War
4. effect of the Second World War on the influence of unions in the workplace
5. extent to which African Americans benefited from social and political changes following the Second World War

3.Which of the following best describes the purpose of the first sentence (highlight) in the second paragraph in the passage?

1. To summarize a situation confronted by unions during the Second World War
2. To summarize the role of unions in the workplace during the Second World War
3. To explain the philosophy supported by most unions during the Second World War
4. To assess the effect of the growth of the civil rights movement on unions during the Second World War
5. To present a criticism of the unions' approach to representing workers during the Second World War

4. 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 (highlight) ?

1. Neither point of view reflects the views of certain African American historians on trade unions during the Second World War.
2. Neither point of view reflects the full complexity of the historical reality.
3. One point of view is based on more reliable research than is the other.
4. Both points of view have misinterpreted recent research on trade unions during the Second World War.
5. The two points of view can be readily harmonized into a coherent interpretation.

5. The "unions' dilemma" (highlight) mentioned in the highlighted text can best be described as the question of whether or not to

1. pressure management to create more skilled and high-paying positions
2. fight for greater union participation in management decisions
3. include minority workers in their membership
4. extend full rights and benefits to all their members
5. emphasize the recruitment of new members over serving the needs of current members

6. Which of the following best summarizes a point of view attributed to the historians mentioned in the highlighted text? ('Some historians, line 1')

1. Trade unions were weakened during the Second World War by their failure to establish a productive relationship with the African American community.
2. Trade unions and the African American community forged a lasting relationship after the Second World War based on their wartime alliance.
3. The cause of civil rights was not significantly affected by the wartime alliance between trade unions and the African American community.
4. The civil rights movement that followed the Second World War forced trade unions to confront contradictions in their practices.
5. The civil rights movement would have benefited from a postwar continuation of the wartime alliance between trade unions and the African American community

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