Question 2
Passage 1: In a recent survey concerning plagiarism among scholars, two University of Alabarma economists asked 1,200 of their colleagues if they believed their work had ever been stolen. A startling 40 percent answered yes. While not a random sample, the responses still represent hundreds of cases of alleged plagiarism. Very few of them will ever be dragged into the sunlight. That's because academia often discourages victims from seeking justice, and when they do, tends to ignore their complaints. 'It's like cockroaches,' says the author of a recent book about academic fraud. 'For every one you see on the floor, there are a hundred behind the stove.' Passage 2: Words belong to the person who wrote them. There are few simpler ethical notions than this, particularly as society directs more and more energy toward the creation of intellectual property. In the past 30 years, copyright laws have been strengthened, fighting piracy has become an obsession with w Hollywood, and, in the worlds of academia and publishing, plagiarism has gone from being bad literary manners to something close to a felony. When a noted historian was recently found to have lifted passages from other historians, she was asked to resign from the board of the Pulitzer Prize committee. And why not? If she had robbed a bank, she would have been fired the next day.
The author quoted in Passage 1 would likely argue that the historian's having 'lifted passages from other historians' (sentence 4, Passage 2) is:
Rationale
C) far from an isolated incident
The author in Passage 1 implies that plagiarism is widespread and systemic within academia, suggesting that individual cases are just the tip of the iceberg. The metaphor of "cockroaches" indicates that many more instances of plagiarism exist than are reported or acknowledged.
A) an example of academic collaboration
This choice misinterprets the nature of plagiarism, which involves unauthorized use of another's work rather than collaborative efforts. Academic collaboration is based on mutual consent and acknowledgment, whereas plagiarism disregards the original author's rights and contributions.
B) deserving of harsh punishment
While the severity of consequences for plagiarism is acknowledged in Passage 2, Passage 1 emphasizes the systemic nature of the issue rather than focusing on punishment. The author suggests that many cases go unpunished, indicating that the emphasis is more on the prevalence of the problem rather than the need for punishment.
D) a comparatively recent problem
This choice incorrectly suggests that plagiarism is a new issue. Passage 1 implies that it has been a long-standing problem in academia, pointing to a culture that discourages reporting and justice, which indicates that it has existed for some time rather than being recent.
Conclusion
The author of Passage 1 highlights the pervasive nature of plagiarism in academia, suggesting it is a widespread issue rather than an isolated incident. The metaphorical comparison to cockroaches illustrates the hidden extent of this problem, pointing to a culture that often ignores complaints and discourages victims from seeking redress. This context supports the conclusion that the historian's actions are far from singular, aligning with the choice that they represent a broader, systemic issue within academia.