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14 Aug 2024, 01:31
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Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
95%
(hard)
Question Stats:
29% (02:21) correct
71%
(02:41)
wrong
based on 177
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
An obscure novel from the thirteenth century has been attributed to Author X, although whether she was the sole author of the long work is often disputed. The year of completion has also been disputed but should be accepted as 1221, because in this year Author X wrote a diary entry about her joy at having completed the work. In this diary entry she also mentions a specific character who appears only in the last chapter of the book. While doubts may remain about certain aspects of the book's authorship, there is no doubt about its chronology.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the argument above?
A. In several diary entries in the year 1220, Author X mentioned that she was lonely working on the obscure novel but that it was almost complete.
B. For record-keeping purposes, Author X had a court scribe copy her diary, so a second copy of her diary verifies the authenticity of her entry about the obscure novel in 1221.
C. No writers other than Author X wrote interior portions now accepted as part of the obscure novel after Author X had finished her portion in 1221.
D. Early in 1222, a political coup took place that would have made life so turbulent for Author X that it would have been virtually impossible for her to continue to edit and add to the obscure novel.
E. The last chapter of the book was the last one Author X wrote.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the argument above?
A. In several diary entries in the year 1220, Author X mentioned that she was lonely working on the obscure novel but that it was almost complete.
B. For record-keeping purposes, Author X had a court scribe copy her diary, so a second copy of her diary verifies the authenticity of her entry about the obscure novel in 1221.
C. No writers other than Author X wrote interior portions now accepted as part of the obscure novel after Author X had finished her portion in 1221.
D. Early in 1222, a political coup took place that would have made life so turbulent for Author X that it would have been virtually impossible for her to continue to edit and add to the obscure novel.
E. The last chapter of the book was the last one Author X wrote.
14 Aug 2024, 09:37
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To solve this question, let us deploy IMS's four-step technique.
STEP #1 -> IDENTIFY THE QUESTION TYPE
Let us read the question stem to identify the question type.
STEP #2 -> X-RAY THE ARGUMENT
In a strengthening question, it is essential to x-ray the argument and deconstruct it. Therefore, let us first read the argument; we may then note the conclusion and premise(s).
PREMISE: In 1221, Author X wrote a diary entry about her joy at having completed the work, and in this diary entry she also mentions a specific character who appears only in the last chapter of the book.
STEP #3 -> FRAME A SHADOW ANSWER
To frame a shadow answer, we need to know what the correct answer should do. In this question, the correct answer must support the author's conclusion that the year of completion of the obscure novel under discussion should be accepted as 1221 and that there is actually no doubt about the novel's chronology.
SHADOW ANSWER: Any situation that, acting as an extra premise to the conclusion, leads us to believe that the year of completion of the obscure novel was 1221, thereby indicating that there is no doubt about the novel's chronology.
STEP #4 -> ELIMINATE INCORRECT OPTIONS
Options that do not match the shadow answer can be eliminated.
A. In several diary entries in the year 1220, Author X mentioned that she was lonely working on the obscure novel but that it was almost complete. | NOT A MATCH | Author X's mentioning that she was lonely working on the obscure novel but that it was almost complete in 1220 does not tell us with certainty that the year of completion of the obscure novel was 1221. This option, in fact, leads us to believe that the novel could have likely been completed in 1220 itself. | ELIMINATE
B. For record-keeping purposes, Author X had a court scribe copy her diary, so a second copy of her diary verifies the authenticity of her entry about the obscure novel in 1221. | NOT A MATCH | If a second copy of the author's diary verifies the authenticity of her entry about the obscure novel in 1221, we are again left with the information we already have, only now we have a reason to believe the diary entry was authentic. Nonetheless, we are looking for an extra premise that validates the conclusion that the year of completion of the obscure novel was 1221. Whether or not a second copy verifies the authenticity of the author's entry about the novel is irrelevant, for the argument in no way suggests that the authenticity of the entry was under question. | ELIMINATE
C. No writers other than Author X wrote interior portions now accepted as part of the obscure novel after Author X had finished her portion in 1221. | MATCHES THE SHADOW ANSWER | If no writers other than Author X wrote interior portions now accepted as part of the obscure novel after Author X had finished her portion in 1221 (and since Author X wrote a diary entry in 1221 about her joy at having completed the work in which she also mentions a specific character who appears only in the last chapter of the book), we are now automatically led to believe that the obscure novel was actually completed in 1221. The author's conclusion that there is no doubt about the novel's chronology is therefore strengthened. | KEEP
D. Early in 1222, a political coup took place that would have made life so turbulent for Author X that it would have been virtually impossible for her to continue to edit and add to the obscure novel. | NOT A MATCH | What happened in 1222 is irrelevant since we are looking for a situation that leads us to believe that the obscure novel was completed in 1221. | ELIMINATE
E. The last chapter of the book was the last one Author X wrote. | NOT A MATCH | If the last chapter of the book was the last one Author X wrote, we still do not have any reason to believe that the year of completion of the obscure novel was 1221. What if there were other authors who wrote several chapters of the book after the last chapter was written? | ELIMINATE
Hence, (C) has to be the correct answer.
STEP #1 -> IDENTIFY THE QUESTION TYPE
Let us read the question stem to identify the question type.
Quote:
The stem indicates a strengthening question.
STEP #2 -> X-RAY THE ARGUMENT
In a strengthening question, it is essential to x-ray the argument and deconstruct it. Therefore, let us first read the argument; we may then note the conclusion and premise(s).
Quote:
CONCLUSION: The year of completion of the obscure novel should be accepted as 1221, and while doubts may remain about certain aspects of the book's authorship, there is no doubt about its chronology.
PREMISE: In 1221, Author X wrote a diary entry about her joy at having completed the work, and in this diary entry she also mentions a specific character who appears only in the last chapter of the book.
STEP #3 -> FRAME A SHADOW ANSWER
To frame a shadow answer, we need to know what the correct answer should do. In this question, the correct answer must support the author's conclusion that the year of completion of the obscure novel under discussion should be accepted as 1221 and that there is actually no doubt about the novel's chronology.
SHADOW ANSWER: Any situation that, acting as an extra premise to the conclusion, leads us to believe that the year of completion of the obscure novel was 1221, thereby indicating that there is no doubt about the novel's chronology.
STEP #4 -> ELIMINATE INCORRECT OPTIONS
Options that do not match the shadow answer can be eliminated.
A. In several diary entries in the year 1220, Author X mentioned that she was lonely working on the obscure novel but that it was almost complete. | NOT A MATCH | Author X's mentioning that she was lonely working on the obscure novel but that it was almost complete in 1220 does not tell us with certainty that the year of completion of the obscure novel was 1221. This option, in fact, leads us to believe that the novel could have likely been completed in 1220 itself. | ELIMINATE
B. For record-keeping purposes, Author X had a court scribe copy her diary, so a second copy of her diary verifies the authenticity of her entry about the obscure novel in 1221. | NOT A MATCH | If a second copy of the author's diary verifies the authenticity of her entry about the obscure novel in 1221, we are again left with the information we already have, only now we have a reason to believe the diary entry was authentic. Nonetheless, we are looking for an extra premise that validates the conclusion that the year of completion of the obscure novel was 1221. Whether or not a second copy verifies the authenticity of the author's entry about the novel is irrelevant, for the argument in no way suggests that the authenticity of the entry was under question. | ELIMINATE
C. No writers other than Author X wrote interior portions now accepted as part of the obscure novel after Author X had finished her portion in 1221. | MATCHES THE SHADOW ANSWER | If no writers other than Author X wrote interior portions now accepted as part of the obscure novel after Author X had finished her portion in 1221 (and since Author X wrote a diary entry in 1221 about her joy at having completed the work in which she also mentions a specific character who appears only in the last chapter of the book), we are now automatically led to believe that the obscure novel was actually completed in 1221. The author's conclusion that there is no doubt about the novel's chronology is therefore strengthened. | KEEP
D. Early in 1222, a political coup took place that would have made life so turbulent for Author X that it would have been virtually impossible for her to continue to edit and add to the obscure novel. | NOT A MATCH | What happened in 1222 is irrelevant since we are looking for a situation that leads us to believe that the obscure novel was completed in 1221. | ELIMINATE
E. The last chapter of the book was the last one Author X wrote. | NOT A MATCH | If the last chapter of the book was the last one Author X wrote, we still do not have any reason to believe that the year of completion of the obscure novel was 1221. What if there were other authors who wrote several chapters of the book after the last chapter was written? | ELIMINATE
Hence, (C) has to be the correct answer.
General Discussion
01 Sep 2024, 19:00
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Bunuel
Official Explanation
Reading the question: The conclusion is that the year of completion of this book was 1221. If no flaw is obvious, we jump to the answer choices and apply the negation test.
Logical proof: choice (A) a weak strengthener, but when we negate it, the argument could still hold. It's not unusually material to the argument whether or not Author X wrote such diary entries. Same with (B); it strengthens the argument, but is not required. Choice (C) is different; if we negate (C), the argument blows up. In such a case, there were writers other than Author X who later wrote interior portions of the book, after 1221, so the year of completion wasn't 1221. (C) is in. (D) is quite similar to (A) and (B). (E) strengthens as well, but the argument doesn't break if (E) is false.
The correct answer is (C).
