Question 2
zoezhuyan wrote:
Quote:
2) Which of the following statements is most compatible with Kosminsky's approach to history, as it is presented in the passage?
(A) The Middle Ages were ended primarily by the religious and political upheaval in fourteenth century Europe.
(B) The economic consequences of the Black Death included increased competition for food, shelter, and work.
(C) European history cannot be studied in isolation from that of the rest of the world.
(D) The number of deaths in fourteenth-century Europe has been greatly exaggerated by other historians.
(E) The significance of the Black Death is best explained within the context of evolving economic systems.
Dear experts, @GMATNinja,@ GMATNinjaTwo,
workout,
SajjadAhmad,
u1983,
GnpthI have no idea how E is the correct answer
I
n the 1930s, however, Evgeny Kosminsky and other Marxist historians claimed the epidemic was merely an ancillary factor contributing to a general agrarian crisis stemming primarily from the inevitable decay of European feudalism. In arguing that this decline of feudalism was economically determined, the Marxist asserted that the Black Death was a relatively insignificant factor."I can get Black Death is no so significant factor, but it does not mean
The significance of the Black Death is BEST explained within the context of evolving economic systems. please help, what I missed.
thanks in advance.
Question #2 asks about Kominsky's "approach to history," and here is what the passage tells us about that approach:
Kominsky believed that
- the decline of feudalism was inevitable and "economically determined"
- This inevitable decay of of feudalism led to an agrarian crisis
- The Black Death was an "ancillary factor" contributing to this crisis
- Furthermore, the Black Death was "relatively insignificant."
From this analysis, we can see that, for Keminsky, the "big picture" is the economically-determined decay of feudalism, while the Black Death is just a minor piece of that big picture.
To answer the question, we need to see which answer choice is "most compatible" with this approach to history.
Quote:
(A) The Middle Ages were ended primarily by the religious and political upheaval in fourteenth century Europe.
Nope, this most closely aligns with Gasquet's study mentioned at the beginning of the first paragraph. Keminsky didn't discuss "religious and political upheaval," so eliminate (A).
Quote:
(B) The economic consequences of the Black Death included increased competition for food, shelter, and work.
This one is way off. A different scholar (Coulton) argued that the Black Death resulted in "
diminished competition for food, shelter, and work." Keminsky didn't discuss such competition one way or the other, so (B) is out.
Quote:
(C) European history cannot be studied in isolation from that of the rest of the world.
Keminsky doesn't mention any non-European history, so (C) is out.
Quote:
(D) The number of deaths in fourteenth-century Europe has been greatly exaggerated by other historians.
While Keminsky believed that the Black Death was "relatively insignificant," did the author discuss Keminsky's views on the "
number of deaths in fourteenth-century Europe?"
Nope -- Keminsky determined that the Black Plague was not a big deal because of how it fit in with other events at the time,
not because he believed that other historians exaggerated the number of deaths in 14th century Europe.
Keminsky's views fell out of favor when subsequent studies found "astonishing" death rates, but the passage does not imply in any way that Kominsky believed that these reports were exaggerated. Eliminate (D).
Quote:
(E) The significance of the Black Death is best explained within the context of evolving economic systems.
This looks a lot like our analysis! Keminsky viewed the Black Death as one factor in the "economically determined" decay of feudalism.
We are looking for the statement that is "most compatible" with Keminsky's approach, and with four solid "no's" (E) is the clear winner. While the word "best" does stand out a bit, (E) is certainly aligns better with Keminsky's views than do the other options. (E) is the correct answer.
I hope that helps!
_________________
GMAT/GRE/EA tutors @
www.gmatninja.com (
hiring!) |
YouTube |
Articles |
IG Beginners' Guides:
RC |
CR |
SC |
Complete Resource Compilations:
RC |
CR |
SC YouTube LIVE webinars:
all videos by topic +
24-hour marathon for UkraineQuestion Explanation Collections:
RC |
CR |
SC