Question

several sociologists have observed that the word culture, though commonly used in academic literature, is an ultimately hazy concept—for example, victoria bonnell and lynn hunt have noted that many critics have pointed to the vagueness of the concept of culture. does the concept of culture encompass knowledge, or laws, or both these things and others? for casual usage, such haziness is permissible—we know culture when we see it—but for researchers, a standardization of the term is called for if sociology is to truly progress. which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole? a. it lists two essential components of what is referred to by bonnell and hunt as culture. b. it presents a point regarding the definition of culture on which nonspecialists and specialists tend to disagree. c. it describes the questions first raised by bonnell and hunt’s inquiry into the meaning of the word culture. d. it illustrates a difficulty associated with the meaning of culture that the author believes holds back an academic field.

Explanation:

The underlined sentence asks if "culture" encompasses knowledge, laws, etc., illustrating the vagueness (difficulty in defining) of "culture" that the author says hinders sociology's progress (academic field). Option A: The sentence is a question, not listing components. Option B: No mention of non - specialists vs specialists. Option C: The question isn't from Bonnell and Hunt's inquiry. Option D matches.

Answer:

D. It illustrates a difficulty associated with the meaning of “culture” that the author believes holds back an academic field.