A team of classicists is examining some newly discovered manuscripts

Question

A team of classicists is examining some newly discovered manuscripts of ancient Greek lyric poetry, keeping in mind the following background information: Lyric poetry is a broad term used to describe the poems that were not epics or drama, and which were composed from roughly the 7th century BCE through the middle of the 5th century BCE.

The content of these poems spanned a wide range. While the Greck epics and tragedies dealt almost exclusively with the myths of Greece’s past, lyric poetry, though at times using a mythic background, kept its focus mostly on the present. Stylistically, lyric poetry had a wide variety, as well. Choral songs, such as eulogies, dithyrambs, dirges, and victory odes, were performed by a chorus and an accompanying instrument, usually on public occasions. Solo songs, also accompanied by an instrument, were typically of a more personal nature, with love as their chief subject. Alcaeus’ poetry provided a partial exception as solo songs go, for he also composed songs about politics as well as hymns to the gods.

Besides choral and solo songs, lyric poetry included elegiac and iambic poems, which may or may not have been performed to music. Elegiac poems are defined by meter, and the elegiac couplet, and were usually political or ethical exhortations. Iambic poems were usually polemics, or monologues of a satirical or salacious nature, often, but not always, composed in the iambic meter. Archilochus used iambics and trochaics for his poetry, whereas Hipponax was unique in his use of the choliambic meter.

mmdfl · Answer

Pre-thinking
Lyrics: ~epic, ~drama, 7th BCE - 5th BCE, focus: present
Styles: 
- Choral (instrument, public occasions). eulogies, victory odes, etc.
- Solo (instrument; love main subject; except Alcaeus's lyrics)
- Eliciac (instrument opcional; political&ethical)
- Iambic (instrument opcional; polemic themes)

Question 2)
"choliambic" meter is mentioned only one time in the text, at the last line, and was used by Hipponax ("...Hipponax was unique in his use of the choliambic meter."), so this style is associated with Hipponax. After see the table "Lyrics Poets", Hipponax is from the 6th century BCE, and uses mainly the Iambic style.

"It is probably not a love song." -> Iambic style is not usually about love ("Iambic poems were usually polemics, or monologues of a satirical or salacious nature") => "Yes"
"It was probably not composed in the 7th century." -> True. It was probably from 6th century BCE (from the table "Lytics Poets") => "Yes"
"It would not have been performed to musical accompaniment." -> False, we can't conclude this with only the provided information: "...iambic poems, which  may or may not  have been performed to music." => "No"

Very hard question, imo

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. For each of the following statements about the newly discovered manuscripts, select Yes if it can be reasonably inferred from the given information. Otherwise, select No.

Statement 1:  The statement is inferable: lyric poetry was composed in the 7th century BCE or later, so it comes after the year 700 BCE.

Answer: Yes

Statement 2:  The statement is not inferable. Though concerned with the present, lyric poems did at times use Greece’s mythical past as their backdrop. Thus, a poem referring to Greece’s mythical past could have been composed by one of the major lyric poets.

Answer: No

Statement 3:  The given information tells you that love poems were mainly (if not exclusively) written as solo songs. The table of poets does not list any poet who wrote solo songs after the 6th century. Thus, the newly discovered love songs were probably not composed in the 5th century.

Answer: Yes

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. For each of the following statements about a newly discovered poem that was composed in the choliambic meter, select Yes if it can be reasonably inferred from the given information. Otherwise, select No.

Statement 1:  Hipponax is mentioned as perhaps the only composer of choliambics, and he was a composer of iambic poetry, which is not love poetry. Thus, this statement can be inferred.

Answer: Yes

Statement 2:  This statement is inferable: Hipponax lived in the 6th century.

Answer: Yes

Statement 3:  This statement cannot be inferred. The given information says that iambic poetry may or may not have been performed to music, and since this choliambic poem was probably by Hipponax, who was a composer of iambic poetry, this poem may or may not have been performed to music.

Answer: No

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. The poetry of which of the following is most likely to have been performed with musical accompaniment?

Explanation

All of these poets except Stesichorus composed mainly elegiac or iambic poems, which did not necessarily make use of musical accompaniment. Stesichorus, on the other hand, composed mainly choral songs, which were always performed to music. Thus, his poetry is the most likely to have been performed with musical accompaniment.

Answer: D

RiyaJ0032 · Answer

Not sure why anybody did not raise this issue

but Q1 B is debatable

the stem says that lyric poetry was focused mostly on present but it did at times use a mythic background

now if using a mythic background solely implies focusing on past, then we can mark a NO

But what if mythic background was used but still the poetry was rooted in present?

since the stem already says it kept it's focus mostly on present, means >50% of the time

can we still infer that lyric poetry could still be based on a mythical past?

Please if some expert could help

THANK YOU SO MUCH

egmat 
 KarishmaB 
 Mannisha 
 ChiranjeevSingh 
 GMATNinja 
 napolean92728

egmat · Answer

You've raised an excellent question that gets to the heart of careful GMAT RC reading! Your confusion about Statement 2 is completely understandable, and you're actually thinking about this in a sophisticated way.

Key Distinction: "Referring to" vs. "Focusing on"
 
The critical insight here is understanding the difference between  referring to/using  something versus  focusing on  it. Let me break this down:
 What the Passage Actually Says: 
 
 Greek epics and tragedies: dealt  almost exclusively  with myths of Greece's past 
 Lyric poetry: "though  at times using  a mythic background, kept its  focus mostly on the present "  
 
Your Interpretation is Correct!  You're absolutely right that lyric poetry could use mythic backgrounds while still being rooted in the present. Think of it like a modern poet referencing Greek mythology to make a point about contemporary life - the myth is referenced, but the focus remains on current issues.
 
Why Statement 2 Must Be "NO": 
The statement claims: "A poem referring to Greece's mythical past  could not have been  composed by any of the major lyric poets."
This uses absolute language - "could not have been." But the passage explicitly states lyric poetry "at times" used mythic backgrounds. Therefore:
 
 Lyric poets  COULD  compose poems referring to mythical past 
 They just didn't focus  exclusively  or even  primarily  on those myths 
 The myths served as background or reference points while maintaining present focus  
 
GMAT Strategy Tip:

Watch for absolute language in inference questions ("could not," "must," "never"). When the passage uses qualifying language ("at times," "mostly"), absolute statements are usually incorrect.

Your analysis shows strong critical thinking - you correctly identified that using mythic background doesn't necessarily mean focusing on the past. This nuanced understanding is exactly what GMAT rewards! I hope this addresses your doubt sufficiently. Let me know if you have any follow-up questions!

RiyaJ0032 · Answer

Hi  egmat

Thank you for laying out such a detailed explanation! This helps!

Just wanted to confirm if I got this right

You are saying that the implication of the sentence "lyric poetry  at times  used mythic backgrounds"

would imply both ways - that these poetry might have used mythic background while staying grounded in the present

Or it could have also used mythic background while dealing with content in the past

Is this correct?

So because the "at times.. mythic background" can have 2 implications, we mark this statement a NO

egmat · Answer

RiyaJ0032

What I mean is that the statement "  A poem referring to Greece’s mythical past could not have been composed by any of the major lyric poets." is an incorrect inference because what it says is that it's unlikely for a lyric poem to refer to Greece's mythical past.

Now, it is clearly mentioned in the paragraph that Lyric poetry has used mythic background at times but keeps its focus on the present. So, a lyric poem referring to Greece's mythical past is a clear possibility and could be composed by lyric poets. So, the above statement is a clear contradiction to what the author actually says. 
 
Looking at your interpretation, you're actually  overcomplicating  what is a fairly straightforward sentence! Let me help clarify this important distinction.

Understanding the Key Sentence
 
The passage states:  "Lyric poetry, though at times using a mythic background, kept its focus mostly on the present."
 
This sentence has a clear, unambiguous structure:
 
  Main clause : "kept its focus mostly on the present" 
  Concession clause : "though at times using a mythic background"

The word "though" creates a  contrast  - it's saying  despite  occasionally using mythic elements as background/context, the actual focus remained on present-day themes.

Addressing Your Specific Confusion
 
You suggested two possible interpretations:
 
 Used mythic background while staying grounded in the present ✓ 
 Used mythic background while dealing with content in the past ✗

Actually,  only interpretation #1 is correct . The passage explicitly states the focus was "mostly on the present" - there's no ambiguity here allowing for interpretation #2.

Why the Answer is NO
 
The statement claims:  "A poem referring to Greece's mythical past could NOT have been composed by any of the major lyric poets." 
We mark this  NO  because:
 
 The passage explicitly says lyric poetry "at times" used mythic backgrounds 
 This means lyric poets  could  and  did  reference myths 
 The absolute claim ("could NOT") is directly contradicted by the passage

When you see absolute statements with words like "could not," "never," "always," or "must," be extra careful. These require  100% support  from the passage. Here, we have the opposite - the passage tells us lyric poets  sometimes  referenced myths, making the absolute prohibition false.

RiyaJ0032 · Answer

I think I now understand what you are trying to imply

the confusion happened previously because I thought mythic background and mythical past might be two separate interpretations

As per your explanation, they are to be treated the same

so therefore, the statement 2 contradicts the claim given in the passage

Thanks again  egmat !

	Callinus
	Semonides
	Solon
	Stesichorus
	Hipponax

A team of classicists is examining some newly discovered manuscripts

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Yes	No
		The poems in the manuscripts were most likely composed in 700 BCE or later.
		A poem referring to Greece’s mythical past could not have been composed by any of the major lyric poets.
		The love poems discovered in the manuscripts were probably not composed in the 5th century BCE.

Yes	No
		It is probably not a love song.
		It was probably not composed in the 7th century.
		It would not have been performed to musical accompaniment.

GMAT Multi-Source Reasoning (MSR) Questions

A team of classicists is examining some newly discovered manuscripts

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

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My Rewards