Why does the author cast doubt on the evidence from voluntary schemes?
Proposals for a period of national service recur whenever people worry about social division. The attractions are clear: young people from different backgrounds would meet and work together, and communities would benefit from their labour. But the proposals tend to assume what they should show, namely that the mixing would produce lasting understanding. Evidence from voluntary schemes suggests that participants do become more tolerant, but those who choose such schemes may have been so inclined to begin with. Compulsion would bring in reluctant participants and could breed resentment. A better plan might be to make service attractive, funded and widely available, and to see who chooses it, before deciding whether compulsion is needed.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Participants may have been more tolerant to begin with, because they chose to take part
- Step 1: The passage says those who choose such schemes may have been so inclined to begin with.
- Step 2: That is a self-selection problem.
Answer
Participants may have been more tolerant to begin with, because they chose to take part.
Why not the others: Length, payment, wealth and dislike are not mentioned.
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