As premises:
the passage ir quite ackward with a lot of shifts that me too had difficulties to understand and to put in a clear framwork. As a matter of fact, for me is not a good passage though, generally speaking, Kaplan is a must for the gmat preparation, at least in RC.
It can be inferred that the author would regard which of the following as potentially a legitimate basis for a new edition of a literary work?
1: An author's original manuscript in genral,
the passage points out just this: the review of the original authpor's work2: A first edition incorporating the publisher's revisions
In the first paragraph you have 2 examples on how the first edition is modified3: A second edition thoroughly amended by the author.
Quote:
The obvious course for an editor is to return to the author's manuscript, where possible
(A) 1 only
(B) 3 only
(C) 1 and 2 only
(D) 1 and 3 only
(E) 1, 2 and 3
Which of the following situations would the author probably say presents the least difficult decision for an editor?
(A) Pope rewrote The Dunciad, directing the satire against a completely different person
(B) Dickens changed the ending of Great Expectations at a friend's suggestion
(C) Dickinson's poems are preserved only in her own oddly-punctuated manuscripts
(D) Whitman printed Leaves of Grass himself
The only reason is that the main point of the argument is the revison of a work. the question ask for the least...so is like a CR question in which you have to find the question that weaken or else the argument EXCEPT(E) Because of his blindness, Joyce had difficultly proofreading Ulysses
I would suggest you do not spend too much time to think about this passage and to move on for a better passage (even by kaplan) or other reliable sources
regards