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Explanation
1. Which one of the following best summarizes the main point of the passage?
Difficulty Level: 700
Explanation
First up is a Global question looking for the author’s main point. Well, as we just got through saying, the big idea is that autobiographies put together by editors are fundamentally different from those untouched by any but the subject’s hand. In a literary sense, the latter is an authentic representation of the African American experience; the former is not. All of this leads straight to choice (D). The phrase “circumstances under which’’ etc. adequately covers the ground covered by the passage, and nicely mirrors the wording of the last sentence of the passage.
(A) According to lines in para 2 (A)’s a true statement: In the author’s view, the integrity of editors has no bearing on the literary value of edited autobiographies. But this is nothing more than a mere detail in the second para; it’s way too narrow in scope to be considered the passage’s main idea.
(B)’s true as well: The author thinks that edited autobiographies are less valuable as literature than are “dictated’’ ones. But dictated autobiographies are mentioned only in the third para. The passage revolves around the difference between edited and unedited autobiographies. Dictated autobiographies are just one type of edited autobiography.
(C), like choices (A) and (B), plays on a detail. The author never claims that personal impressions are more important than facts, but rather contends that personal impressions affect the way in which facts are set down. In any case, this certainly can’t be considered the passage’s main idea.
(E) The author does seem to believe that African American autobiographies need to be studied more carefully—that’s apparent throughout the passage, especially at the end of the second and third para. But this choice doesn’t mention the fundamental difference between edited and unedited autobiographies, the theme that’s at the heart of this passage.
• Just because something may be true or is strongly supported by the information in the passage doesn’t mean that it suffices as the passage’s main idea. Be selective! Go with the one that includes the most essential element of the passage.
Answer: D
5. Which one of the following words, as it is used in the passage, best serves to underscore the author’s concerns about the authenticity of the autobiographies discussed?
Difficulty Level: 700
Explanation
The stem’s a bit on the long side, but essentially we’re after the word that reveals the author’s skepticism about the authenticity of edited autobiographies. That’s really what the question’s asking, right? Choice (A)’s “ostensible” fits the bill. As it’s used in the passage, ostensible means “supposed” or “presumed.” Using the word “ostensible” to describe the authorship of the narratives is the author’s way of saying right off the bat that he’s doubtful of the authenticity of some of these works. Any study of these autobiographies supposedly (“ostensibly”) written by the subjects themselves would, according to the author, raise concerns about authenticity.
If you didn’t see this, you might still have gotten the correct answer through process of elimination. None of the other words refers to the author’s feelings about edited autobiographies. In fact, each refers to ideas and issues discussed considerably later. “Integrity,” choice (B), and “delimits,” choice (D), relate to the editors of autobiographies, rather than to the author’s attitude toward the works themselves. Similarly, “extraneous,” choice (C), relates to the facts that appear in edited autobiographies, while “impolitic,” choice (E), relates to people being interviewed in the 1930s.
• If you have trouble with a wordy or complicated question stem, you may wish to consider postponing the question for later. Remember, you need not work through every question to get a top score. Just remember to fill in a guess for any question you don’t get to.
Answer: A
7. It can be inferred that the discussion in the passage of Blassingame’s work primarily serves which one of the following purposes?
Difficulty Level: 700
Explanation
Why bring up Blassingame?—asks the final question of the set. To determine this, it’s important to grasp the context in which he’s discussed. The name isn’t too hard to find; Blassingame is cited by the author in the beginning of para 2 as someone who believes that editors were honest, and therefore would not have played fast and loose with the facts. Directly after this point is made, the author goes on to say that personal integrity is not the issue (note the “however” in passage); what is at issue, according to the author, is the “linguistic, structural, and tonal integrity” of autobiographies produced by editors. In other words, Blassingame is introduced as an example of a scholar with a misplaced emphasis when it comes to the study of African American autobiography. And that’s choice (B).
(A) is out because Blassingame’s point of view contradicts, rather than supports, the author’s point of view.
(C) Blassingame’s method of studying autobiographies is in line with the one that has traditionally been used by scholars. If anyone has a new idea about how to look at autobiographies, it’s our author.
(D)’s a bit tricky if you don’t keep context in mind. Remember, what the author really objects to is Blassingame’s assessment of the editor’s role, not his adherence to the traditional approach to literary analysis of African American autobiography.
(E) distorts information in the passage: The author doesn’t think the editor-narrator relationship is important; if anything, he or she thinks that it causes problems. In any case, this isn’t the reason why Blassingame appears in the text.
• Logic questions test whether you’re up on what the author’s up to, such as why he includes a word, an example, a paragraph, and so on. Keywords help the author to tell his story in a coherent manner, and by extension help us to keep tabs on the author. The contrast Keyword “however” is the key to this question.
Answer: B
I hope it helps