<p>@Woandering your definition of assimilation is right, but its not just restricted to accepting something new</p>
<p><a href=“Assimilation Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com”>http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/assimilation</a></p>
<p>@Woandering I thought of it as you’re combining “traditional spices” with “novel food”. I can’t see how that’s not assimilation. I feel like the answer is clearly shown in “the new is rendered familiar”</p>
<p>Traditionalism is defined as “the upholding or maintenance of tradition, especially so as to resist change”. I get where you guys are coming from, but no matter how “small” the change is, there’s still a change–new assimilating with old. I believe that’s what the SAT was looking for at least.</p>
<p>@i2400ezpz
Exactly. So if you were thinking of the process, not the passage, it fits the (rather extreme) definition of assimilation. (I say rather extreme because ‘assimilation’s’ connotation is something small sliding into something large (and new)). However, looking at the passage, the cook is trying to make something unfamiliar easier to swallow, using traditional material and traditional methods.</p>
<p>@Woandering there is nothing extreme about assimilation…and I would say they’re not maintaining tradition with eating “novel foods”. They combine new and old, but that’s still not maintaining the old.</p>
<p>@fireonice </p>
<p>The connotation of assimilation is more gentle, and more large scale. Calling one dish assimilation is rather extreme.</p>
<p>It says traditional in there so it can’t be that. The answer would never be part of a word that they directly stated. I’m an idiot and put estrangement but I still don’t think it can be traditionalism.</p>
<p>@Woandering We are not talking about the assimilation of one dish or one occurrence here. The author used this one example to illustrate the larger assimilation of culture–novel foods with traditional spices/methods.</p>
<p>Also: the connotation of traditionalism is “resistant to change” which is negative/rigid. At the end of the paragraph, the author is definitely happy about this assimilation of cultures and practices and views it as a positive thing.</p>
<p>@xxjmodxx
Funny, since most SAT teachers teach us to LOOK for evidence. In many of the questions I’ve come by, the answer is right there. </p>
<p>@fireonice
You’re looking at this too one-sided-ly. Yes, the novel material suggests assimilation. The fact that the cook would still stick to old flavors (note: most immigrants who ‘assimilate’ into a new culture do not stick to old flavors) suggests traditionalism. </p>
<p>That’s a fair point though of course it doesn’t disprove traditionalism. The “average test taker” may grab on to the word traditional in the passage and see it as the answer. Overall, I think assimilation fits the context, meaning, and tone of the passage better than traditionalism.</p>
<p>@Woandering it doesn’t matter what they’re doing they’re taking on new culture and not resisting it. They may be altering it for themselves, but they are not resisting it. I think that is the key.</p>
<p>@fireonice
How are they not resisting it? They’re holding on to traditional flavors.</p>
<p>@Woandering I agree with you on that and think your probably 100x better than me at the SAT but I still think that if the exact word is in the passage then it’s probably a trap for students who are way too dependent on the lines. Often when they restate words exactly it’s a bad sign as opposed to using say synonyms. Idk I could be wrong just an idea.</p>
<p>@fireonice
Honestly, this discussion is pointless. Believe what you want. I stated at the beginning that I could see it both ways, and that it was rather ambiguous. We’ll never find the real answer, since this isn’t QAS, and most literature have been argued for centuries. I’d rather not waste my time.</p>
<p>@xxjmodxx
Yes, it tends to be a bad sign, and you should double check. However, it doesn’t mean traditionalism ISN’T the answer. Unless you find something else that either proves assimilation or disproves traditionalism, you can’t rely on bad signs. </p>
<p>@Woandering they’re not resisting because they’re letting in novel foods…they’re adapting/assimilating step by step.
In any case yes this is pointless. In fact, the amount of time we’ve spent on this thread is essentially pointless especially compared to how we could be using it otherwise 
</p>
<p>@fireonice
Honestly? I used my time here to decide whether I should cancel my scores or not. Since there’s still a rather large possibility of me getting 2300+, I’ve decided not to, but if I had seen many of my answers to be incorrect, I would’ve cancelled. Not really a waste of time for me. </p>
<p>What makes our discussion a waste of time is how it doesn’t bring anything new to this thread. I’ve said my arguments over and over, and I’ve seen yours, by you or someone else, over and over again. </p>
<p>@Woandering did you do much to prep for this test or do you just have an all around superior intellect. This is actually a serious question haha it sounds sarcastic but it’s not</p>
<p>If it’s a waste of your time then stop looking at this thread, don’t blame others. It’s an open forum.</p>