A single short story can suggest a desired response from the reader. I

Question

A single short story can suggest a desired response from the reader. It is a difficult task, though, to create a world within a single short story and then repeat this world again in other stories while maintaining a consistent flow of ideas. Many authors prefer to use the same setting, indeed, often the same characters in each story. Isabel Allende’s  Diez Cuentos’ de Eva Luna  comes to mind. In these stories, Allende uses the small town of Agua Santa as the setting for the entire collection.

Woman Hollering Creek  is a collection of short stories by Sandra Cisneros. Rather than using the same characters or setting throughout the collection, Cisneros takes a different approach to relating her stories to one another. Much of the burden, in fact, is placed on the reader, for the characters change each time, as does the setting. Furthermore, while the characters are largely Mexican American immigrant women, each character presents a distinct style and literary voice. What these works have in common is more intuitive; mood, circumstance, time, tone, and imagery all play a role in creating the world in which the stories take place.    1 
 1. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements?

(A) Short story collections depend on the reader to find the common thread that ties the stories together.
(B) Isabel Allende uses the same setting for the majority of her fiction.
(C) It is possible to create a coherent short story collection if the stories take place in vastly different times and places.
(D) Intuition is a more important aspect of Sandra Cisneros’s writing than the characters or the setting.
(E) The best short story collections feature some through line that the reader can follow and that connects the various stories.

2 
 2. According to the passage, which of the following characterizes both short stories by Isabel Allende and short stories by Sandra Cisneros?

(A) similarities in tone among the stories
(B) similarities in time among the stories
(C) similarities in characters among the stories
(D) similarities in setting among the stories
(E) none of the above

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 121 Date: 26-Apr-2023
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

Manhattan GRE 5lb.

liquiDT · Answer

Hello,

Can you please share the solutions for both the questions?

resilient369 · Answer

Q2)  2. According to the passage, which of the following characterizes both short stories by Isabel Allende and short stories by Sandra Cisneros?

Clearly from the passage (first para) "In these stories, Allende uses the small town of Agua Santa  as the setting for the entire collection " , therefore Isabel is having only one charecteristic mentioned that she keeps same setting entire collection.
and it is clear fom last para that Sandra Cisneros doesnot keep the setting. " for the characters  change each time, as does the setting ".
 So there will be nothing in common. 
Answer: E

(A) similarities in tone among the stories
no
(B) similarities in time among the stories
no
(C) similarities in characters among the stories
no
(D) similarities in setting among the stories
no
(E) none of the above

MS61 · Answer

2. According to the passage, which of the following characterizes both short stories by Isabel Allende and short stories by Sandra Cisneros?

(A) similarities in tone among the stories: Incorrect  each character presents a distinct style and literary voice. 
(B) similarities in time among the stories : Incorrect  Cisneros takes a different approach to relating her stories to one another. 
(C) similarities in characters among the stories : Incorrect  characters change each time, as does the setting. 
(D) similarities in setting among the stories : Incorrect  characters change each time, as does the setting. 
(E) none of the above : Correct

MS61 · Answer

1. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements?

(A) Short story collections depend on the reader to find the common thread that ties the stories together.  Incorrect : A single short story can suggest a desired response from the reader. 
(B) Isabel Allende uses the same setting for the majority of her fiction. Incorrect : She used it for entire collection and not majority of her fiction. 
(C) It is possible to create a coherent short story collection if the stories take place in vastly different times and places.  Correct : mentioned by giving Example of Woman Hollering Creek is a collection of short stories by Sandra Cisneros. 
(D) Intuition is a more important aspect of Sandra Cisneros’s writing than the characters or the setting.  Incorrect : There is no comparison between intuition & Characters/Setting 
(E) The best short story collections feature some through line that the reader can follow and that connects the various stories.  Incorrect : Author has not mentioned any opinion on what is best

Elite097 · Answer

Q2.

To determine which option characterizes both Isabel Allende's and Sandra Cisneros's short stories according to the passage, let’s review what the passage says about each author:

Isabel Allende: The passage mentions that Allende uses the same setting, the small town of Agua Santa, across her stories in Diez Cuentos de Eva Luna. This creates a consistent world within the collection.

Sandra Cisneros: For Cisneros's collection Woman Hollering Creek, the passage states that the stories feature different characters and settings. Coherence in her collection is achieved through mood, circumstance, time, tone, and imagery, not through consistent settings or characters.

Analyzing the Options:
(A) Similarities in tone among the stories: The passage indicates that both authors use tone as a unifying element, but it is more explicitly stated for Cisneros and less directly for Allende.

(B) Similarities in time among the stories: The passage does not indicate that there is a common time frame within Allende’s or Cisneros’s stories.

(C) Similarities in characters among the stories: The passage notes that Allende uses the same setting, while Cisneros uses different characters in each story.

(D) Similarities in setting among the stories: Allende’s stories have a consistent setting, while Cisneros’s stories have different settings.

(E) None of the above: Given the specific characteristics described in the passage, this option would be correct if none of the other options accurately describe a common feature of both authors’ works.

Conclusion:
Based on the passage, Option (E) "none of the above" is correct because there is no single element listed in the options that both authors' short stories share according to the passage.

Elite097 · Answer

Q1

Passage Overview:
The passage contrasts two approaches to creating a short story collection:

Isabel Allende's Approach: Allende uses the same setting (the small town of Agua Santa) for the stories in her collection Diez Cuentos de Eva Luna. This creates a consistent world across the stories.
Sandra Cisneros's Approach: In Woman Hollering Creek, Cisneros does not use the same characters or setting throughout her collection. Instead, she connects the stories through more abstract elements like mood, circumstance, time, tone, and imagery.
Analyzing the Answer Choices:
Option A: "Short story collections depend on the reader to find the common thread that ties the stories together."
While this option touches on the reader's role in finding connections in Cisneros's collection, it implies that this is true for all short story collections, which isn't what the passage argues. The passage describes this as Cisneros's approach, not a universal rule for all collections.
Option C: "It is possible to create a coherent short story collection if the stories take place in vastly different times and places."
This option aligns with the description of Cisneros's collection, where coherence is achieved through elements like mood and tone, despite the stories having different settings and characters. The passage supports this idea, making it a correct interpretation.
Conclusion:
Option C is correct because it accurately reflects the passage's explanation of Cisneros's approach—coherence in a collection can be achieved through non-traditional means, such as mood and tone, even when the stories vary in setting and characters.

Option A is incorrect because it overgeneralizes the reader's role in tying together short stories, which is specifically highlighted as Cisneros's technique rather than a universal characteristic of all collections.

VerbalBot · Answer

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A single short story can suggest a desired response from the reader. I

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