Explanation
Correct answer: A.
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined portion functions in the text as a whole. The first sentence of the text states that the CEP had a positive impact on the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The next sentence explains that the CEP organized workshops for attendees, who later used the knowledge they gained to lead civil rights initiatives. And the underlined portion indicates the number of activists—more than 7,000—who participated in the workshops. Thus, the underlined portion provides a number that underscores the extent of the CEP’s impact on the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
Why the other choices are wrong
Choice B
Choice B is incorrect. Although the sentence that contains the underlined portion mentions some CEP workshop topics, the underlined portion itself addresses the number of participants in the CEP workshops, not the number of topics covered.
Choice C
Choice C is incorrect. Although the underlined portion refers to attendees of the CEP workshops, nothing in the underlined portion or the text as a whole addresses the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s philosophy or the attendees’ opinions thereof.
Choice D
Choice D is incorrect because neither the underlined portion nor the text as a whole mentions any criticism of the CEP by members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.