<p>The impression that the town
meetings of Colonial New England were
free, democratic, and civilized is far too
Line simplistic. For one thing, those who could
5 vote did not include women, Black people,
American Indians, and White men who did
not own property. In the seventeenth
century it was not “the people” who ran the
town meetings; it was the town selectmen.
10 However, in early colonial Dedham,
Massachusetts, there was a time when the
townsfolk themselves actually made all the
big decisions at town meetings. A great
and noble experiment, it lasted all of three
15 years and was abandoned by 1639, soon
after the town was established.</p>
<p>The author describes the “experiment” (line 14) in a tone that
(A) objectively summarizes crucial events in a typical town
(B) enthusiastically reveals a startling discovery
(C) mildly scolds historians who support inaccurate interpretations
(D) gently mocks false notions about town meetings
(E) sharply criticizes the disastrous errors of the first settlers</p>
<p>I chose Choice A because I thought the author was objective, especially when he brought up dates (1639) and described the historical events (establishment of town, then experiment lasted three years, and then it was abandoned).
Collegeboard says it’s Choice D because the author is mocking how some people thought colonial settlements were democratic (as first sentence says) by mentioning that it was abandoned in 3 years but at the same time describes it as “great and noble”. </p>
<p>CR is very hard. Although I usually have a reason for choosing a certain option, I just can’t find a way to get everything right. Like in this case, I didn’t see what CC was talking about. I looked at Choice A, and felt it was the one that made sense, so I chose it, with confidence. Can anyone explain to me how to avoid this?</p>