Question

universities facing rising concern about campus antisemitism and islamophobia often assume that simply enrolling a religiously mixed student body will foster interfaith understanding. in a longitudinal survey of undergraduates at one uk institution, researchers instead defined students \pluralism orientation\—their willingness to admire, befriend, and learn from peers with very different religious or non - religious worldviews—and tracked how it shifted as students described their campus climate. pluralism grew when students perceived high worldview diversity, enjoyed safe spaces to express their own beliefs, and encountered structured but \provocative\ discussions that challenged stereotypes; it declined when insensitive comments or a sense that ones faith was unwelcome made students feel under threat. these patterns indicate that effective efforts to improve interreligious relations on campus must ______
15
mark for review
which choice most logically completes the text?
a maximize exposure to provocative encounters, trusting that frequent, unfiltered clashes over religion will on their own erode prejudice, even if many students experience those exchanges as hostile and lack spaces where their own beliefs feel respected.
b prioritize recruiting a more religiously diverse student body while otherwise remaining neutral on questions of expression and dialogue, since actual demographic variety, rather than perceived climate, is what most strongly drives growth in pluralism orientation.
c intentionally cultivate climates where religious diversity is visible, supportive spaces let students feel secure in their own identities, and carefully facilitated dialogues invite deep disagreement without tipping into dismissive or threatening attacks on anyones worldview.
d minimize overt expressions of faith and avoid classroom discussions of religion altogether so that no student feels offended, relying on a quiet, supposedlyreligion - free campus to reduce tensions between people of different worldviews.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the patterns from the survey: pluralism grew with high worldview diversity, safe spaces, and structured provocative discussions; declined with threats.

• Option A: Unfiltered clashes (hostile) don't match the "structured" and "safe spaces" from the survey. Eliminate.
• Option B: The survey shows perceived climate (not just demographic variety) matters (pluralism declined with bad climate even with diversity). So B's claim that "actual demographic variety... most strongly drives growth" is wrong. Eliminate.
• Option C: Matches the factors: visible diversity (high worldview diversity), supportive spaces (safe spaces), and facilitated dialogue (structured provocative discussions). This aligns with the survey's findings.
• Option D: Avoiding religion discussions contradicts the "provocative discussions" that helped pluralism. Eliminate.

Answer:

C. intentionally cultivate climates where religious diversity is visible, supportive spaces let students feel secure in their own identities, and carefully facilitated dialogues invite deep disagreement without tipping into dismissive or threatening attacks on anyone’s worldview.