Correspondences were a method of thought and expression used originall

Hello, sjuniv32. Let me begin by asking, where did you first encounter this question? (Was it on this site, or somewhere else?) I ask because there seems to be some question about the source, and I will admit that when I came to the word pullulating in the last paragraph, I thought the passage felt more like a GRE® passage. Anyway, this is a tough piece to unravel, incorporating language that is sometimes florid: equivalences shaded off into resemblances. That could come straight from a poem.

In general, although I prefer to create a mental map (as I read) that outlines the gist of each paragraph, I steer away from summaries. I simply do not trust my filtering of the information enough to take on questions that might have nuanced answers, answers that would likely require a look back at the passage. With this in mind, I might lift a keyword or two from each paragraph so that I know where I might likely find my answer if a question broaches a certain topic. I keep it simple. My mental map for the passage might resemble the following:

1—correspondences, Middle Ages
2—Elizabethan correspondences
3—metaphor (mentioned twice, in fact)
4—tame (mentioned twice)/grasp [information]

When I go through the questions, I look to disprove each answer choice, and I often take two passes to reduce the answer pool. The first pass is just to eliminate clearly incorrect answers; the second is where I do the majority of my fact-checking. Matching keywords is an essential skill that can help you arrive at a correct conclusion in just about any circumstance, regardless of how well you comprehended the passage.

QUESTION ONE

In the first question, the keywords from the question stem—the purpose of medieval correspondences was to make the world more—match nearly verbatim what the passage states in paragraph one, the paragraph about the Middle Ages (or medieval times)—Correspondences were used to make the world more comprehensible. Choice (E) it is. That one is done and dusted.

QUESTION TWO

The second question invokes the author of the passage and asks about statements concerning the Elizabethan Age. We would expect to find our answer in paragraph two, although a detail from either three or four could creep in. This an example of a question that requires disproof more than just sniffing out the right answer. Choice (A) presents Elizabethan knowledge in a positive light, something the tone of the passage supports; prevailing modes of thought maps well onto the line from the middle of the paragraph in question:

it was becoming more difficult for Elizabethans to understand their world as part of a rigid, coherent order: the mathematical detail of correspondences became less apt

So far, so good. Leave (A) alone and complete the first sweep. Choice (B) immediately paints Elizabethan knowledge in a negative way with had not developed. I am also wary of bold, overreaching language such as require. If I have two doubts compared to zero from another answer choice, I feel safe eliminating the doubtful one. Choice (C) draws a comparison that the passage, in the same paragraph, even the same line as the one I have quoted above, goes against. Keep moving. In choice (D), we would need to qualify both develop gradually and not surprised by new or strange information. Such details may elude us in the first pass, but they do not hold up to scrutiny in the second. I am hard-pressed to find a line to point to that expresses either notion specifically. The lines that mimishyu quotes in an earlier post make tenuous connections. (For instance, at least they could grasp it by finding that it was like something already familiar is not the same as saying that Elizabethans were not surprised by new or strange information. In fact, they seem to have been attempting to make sense of such information.) Finally, choice (E) provides another easy elimination. Although the Elizabethans used correspondences in the same way as their medieval counterparts, the second paragraph makes it clear that the Elizabethans were interested in change.

QUESTION THREE

Question three asks about metaphors, and we know just where to look for that information: paragraph three. Since the question asks about a comparison between modern metaphors and Elizabethan correspondences, we need to examine the lines in the middle of the paragraph:

This [modern] expression is no more than a metaphor with emotional content. To the Middle Ages this observation would have been a highly significant fact, a new piece of evidence for the unity of creation.

A fact sounds like objective information, and (C) does not use any language that I find debatable. (For instance, look at less realistic in (A), formal occasions in (B), attuned to the period in (D), or based on mathematical models in (E).)

QUESTION FOUR

Finally, the key to the last question is to read carefully and understand that it is asking about medieval correspondences, not Elizabethan correspondences. In my first pass, (A) looks overstated with laden, and historical associations is not a detail that stands out in my mind; (B) mentions a wide variety of contexts, and a quick check against paragraph one shows that it is baseless; likewise, (E) goes too far in conjuring up abstract qualities. It really comes down to (C) or (D).

(C) enabled people to grasp new ideas
Passage (paragraph one): Correspondences were used to make the world more comprehensible.

(D) enabled medieval thinkers to base their faith in an ordered universe on an endless accumulation of minutiae
Passage (paragraph two): the mathematical detail of correspondences became less apt; in contrast to medieval people, Elizabethans could not base their faith on the endless accumulation of minutiae.

Choice (C) incorporates what I call one-step-removed logic. The thinking might go that if correspondences allowed people to grasp new concepts, then such correspondences had to be more than mere figures of speech. But where is the textual evidence that states as much? Which line or lines can we point to as evidence in support of the answer? Meanwhile, the contrast in (D) allows us to deduce (or infer, in the context of the question) that medieval people incorporated mathematical detail into their correspondences and based their faith, at least in part, on such minutiae. Thus, (D) is a more justifiable suggestion.

Although I took the passage on at the end of my workday, just before my last lesson, so my mind may not have been as settled as usual, my question times may still attest to the difficulty of the passage: 2:58 (with reading of the passage included); 1:44; 2:28; and 1:47. Yes, I was over the target 1:48 half of the time. I do not worry about my timing too much on RC passages, though. I know that I can make up a minute or so without much difficulty via other types of questions. It is more about achieving the right balance with a mixed-question set.

I hope that helps. I do not typically respond to RC questions that ask for such a broad analysis, but unlike yesterday, today finds me with a little more time on my hands.

- Andrew
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Hi sjuniv32

I am glad if my posts helped you in some way. However, I don’t think that I deserve to be in the same line with the other guys you mentioned. I wish I was as smart as one of their socks. Now back to the topic.


Understanding WHY the question was asked is no less important than understanding WHAT was asked. That’s what I usually do at the end of every paragraph. I imagine that I am the author of the passage and thus try to understand WHY I am telling these things. With every paragraph, I must be answering a certain question, and identifying that question is my target.


What are correspondences and why do we need them?

Correspondences are the way we learn new things. We compare a new thing to the things we already know and try to find similarities between them. This way we learn about new things.

Let’s suppose that we are a leader of a team to which we need to explain what “teamwork” is. We can say: “teamwork is like playing a guitar. A guitar can produce a great music if all its strings are played in harmony and as planned, not in discord. You can’t play a song with just one string. And if any string rips, the remaining ones are almost useless. Teamwork is the same. To achieve their target, team members should work as guitar’s strings - in harmony and as planned, not in discord.”

Now we made a correspondence between two different things, namely “teamwork” and “playing a guitar”. First we found an overlapping/congruent set between them, which is “harmony and discord”. And this overlapping set helped us use “playing a guitar” to explain what a “teamwork” is. Similarly, in the first paragraph, “harmony and discord” is common to two different things, namely “lute playing” and “political organization”.



What is the different between Elizabethan correspondence and the medieval correspondence?

The medieval people used correspondences more coolly and intellectually, rather as if they were a mathematical formula. These people may first say “Life is just. You reap what you sow”, and then explain this idea with math formula y = mx + b. Let what you sow be x, and what you reap y. m is how hard you work. b is where you start in your life. Wherever you start in your life, you can still grow however much you wish. The greater is your m, the higher you rise in your life. However, don’t get spoiled because this may turn m into negative and you may fall easily. So, you’d better figure out what x and m you need to get your desired y. So on and so forth.”

Elizabethans also used such formulas but were not restricted by them. They moved further. They felt that such formulas were less appropriate and can’t capture every detail, especially when it comes to different parts of the mind such as feelings, perception, volition, and such. For example, the medieval could explain why a woman wants to give birth. It would say “reproduction is a phenomenon for the continuation of species across many life forms, including humans”. However, it would fail to explain why mother can sacrifice herself for her child. Love hardly ever can be expressed with formulas. You need Elizabethans to explain this bond.



Who is more figurative?

We can see that equivalence and metaphor are two opposite extremes. Equivalence = realistic. Metaphor = figurative. “Hovering between equivalence and metaphor” means that Elizabethans could use both. Or they couldn’t use only one.

For modern astronomers, the expression about asteroids is no more than a metaphor = only metaphor.
For the medieval, this expression is a fact = only realistic.
For Elizabethans, this expression is both. Since they considered metaphorical aspects of things, they were more figurative than the medieval. And since they also used equivalences, they were more realistic or less figurative than modern astronomers.
This is the answer to the third question.

The last paragraph isn’t that tough I think.


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1.The author implies that the purpose of medieval correspondences was to make the world more

A) intense
B) novel
C) varied
D) mystifying
E) comprehensible

The answer to the first question is in the first paragraph. This excerpt: “Correspondences were used to make the world more comprehensible.”




2. With which of the following statements concerning the Elizabethan Age would the author be most likely to agree?

A) Elizabethan knowledge about the world had outstripped the capacity of prevailing modes of thought to explain it.

Since Elizabethan mode used both equivalence and metaphor, it could analyze the things that were beyond the capacity of prevailing medieval mode with only realistic mode.

B) Elizabethan knowledge had not developed to the point where it would require a scientific revolution to explain new facts.

“scientific revolution” is out of scope. Not provided by passage.

C) The Elizabethan Age was more interested in creating a scientific image of the world than in depicting the world poetically.

The passage said nothing about Elizabethan Age. “poetically” is out of scope. Not provided by passage.

D) The Elizabethan Age allowed knowledge about the world to develop gradually and was not surprised by new or strange information.

“was not surprised” is out scope. Not provided by passage.

E) Elizabethans continued to think of the world in medieval ways despite the accumulation of new and strange information.

The passage says the opposite that Elizabethans were not only realistic.



3. In comparison to modern metaphors, the author finds Elizabethan correspondences to be

A) less realistic because they were based on abstract reasoning

On the contrary, Elizabethans were more realistic. I explained this above when sorted out the third paragraph above. “More realistic because based on abstract reasoning” makes no sense. It could be more realistic if were based on facts.

B) more elaborate because they were used only on formal occasions

“more elaborate” and “only” are out of scope. Not provided in the passage.

C) less figurative because they were felt to explain an objective relationship

I explained why it’s C when sorted out the third paragraph above.

D) more closely attuned to the period in which they originated

“attuned to the period” is out of scope. Not provided in the passage.

E) more precise because they were based on mathematical models

“more precise” is out scope. Not provided in the passage.



4.The author implies medieval correspondences were more than mere figures of speech because they

The question may confuse you. “mere figures of speech” means “just words” or “just blah blah and nothing serious”. So, why medieval correspondences were more than just words?


A) were laden with historical associations

“historical associations” is out of scope. Not provided in the passage.

B) were used in a wide variety of contexts

Medieval correspondences could be used wide variety of contexts, but this doesn’t explain why they were more than just words. Even if they were just words, they could be used in any context.

C) enabled medieval people to grasp new ideas

Medieval correspondences could help to learn new things, but this doesn’t explain why they were more than just words. Even if they were just words, they could help learn new things.

D) enabled medieval thinkers to base their faith in an ordered universe on an endless accumulation of minutiae

This choice is directly supported by the second paragraph. This paragraph says Elizabethans were different from the medieval in that they didn’t base their faith on endless accumulation of minutiae. This means that the medieval, on the contrary, based their faith on such accumulation.

E) expressed what were thought to be figurative relationships between abstract qualities

On the contrary, the medieval didn’t express figurative relationships. Elizabethans did.
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Here are 10 common figures of speech and some examples of the same figurative language in use:
Simile.
Metaphor.
Personification.
Onomatopoeia.
Oxymoron.
Hyperbole.
Litotes.
Idiom.

When figurative language consists of metaphor as well, then how in question 3 option c is the answer, when in passage, Elizabethans age contains metaphors, which specifically is the difference between medieval and Elizabethan age

Can someone explain me Q3

Please provide the answer explanation for questions 2 and 3.

Hello coreyander

Please confirm the source and OAs of this passage.

Thank you.

para1
to introduce, as an expression and concept, the method of correspondence in medieval time and how, by metaphor, can it be function as the prelude of the whole passage

para2
shift the time background from medieval to Elizabethan and by this start to look at the feature of Elizabethan correspondence, which, though it include in detail as well as order, its divergent also not minutiae mathematical equivalence to the of medieval people while just can be said they present it in its own expression

para3
use an metaphor which better illustrate how Elizabethan balance themselves between emotional metaphor and mathematical equivalence in its own way of expression

para4
comment on the correspondence method employed by Elizabethans, though not perfect in itself, at least useful in the way that expression is somehow familiar to themselves as the ending of the whole passage



1. The author implies that the purpose of medieval correspondences was to make the world more

A) intense
B) novel
C) varied
D) mystifying
E) comprehensible...correct

the first paragraph
Correspondences were a method of thought and expression used originally in the Middle Ages to compare two different things on the basis of some perceived similarity in the order of their beings. Correspondences were used to make the world more comprehensible; for example, when lute playing was likened to the harmony or discord of the political organization to make both music and politics appear to be part of a congruent set of worldly phenomena.




2. With which of the following statements concerning the Elizabethan Age would the author be most likely to agree?

A) Elizabethan knowledge about the world had outstripped the capacity of prevailing modes of thought to explain it.

…this one be the correct one in OA, however
indeed in para2 the passage says it is not easy to unravel the feelings of the Elizabethans, but its just “feelings” rather than knowledge of the world, besides, para4 states that Elizabethan could somehow interpret the detail, and if it cannot perfectly do this, at least they can grasp their expression themselves, so how can the knowledge of Elizabethan beyond words to explain?


B) Elizabethan knowledge had not developed to the point where it would require a scientific revolution to explain new facts.

nowhere in the passage talks about scientific revolution


C) The Elizabethan Age was more interested in creating a scientific image of the world than in depicting the world poetically.

wrong, para3 says the Elizabethan was quite balance between emotional and rational expression


D) The Elizabethan Age allowed knowledge about the world to develop gradually and was not surprised by new or strange
information.

…I choose this one as the correct answer choice
I don’t know whether my thinking is correct or not, as I thought that, though not perfect, however this one match somehow the last paragraph says
It was through their retention of the main points and their flexibility in interpreting the details that the Elizabethans were able to use these correspondences in their attempt to tame a bursting and pullulating world(develop gradually). Even if they could not tame a new fact by fitting it into a rigid scheme, at least they could grasp it by finding that it was like something already familiar.( was not surprised by new or strange information.)



E) Elizabethans continued to think of the world in medieval ways despite the accumulation of new and strange information.

para2 clearly states, though resemblance, there still pose subtle difference between medieval and Elizabethan correspondence




3. In comparison to modern metaphors, the author finds Elizabethan correspondences to be

A) less realistic because they were based on abstract reasoning

we know from para3 that Elizabethan correspondences take emotional metaphors as well as rational equivalence together, it doesn’t mention anything about how it based or whether it is realistic or not


B) more elaborate because they were used only on formal occasions

the passage doesn’t say anything about whether Elizabethan correspondences can be used between formal or informal occasion


C) less figurative because they were felt to explain an objective relationship

my thinking as below
from the last sentence of para2:
They made the imagination use details for its own ends; equivalences shaded off into resemblances.
so its obvious from these lines that they won’t be “less figurative(which means imaginary)”

or think about that if the correspondence is concrete，practical and not involved much imaginary, which is to say-less figurative in
itself?para3 says it can balance between math equivalence-rational and metaphor-emotional very well, thus it can’t be only “less
figurative” as we already know that The Elizabethans could take the matter both ways.

so…how can (C) be the correct answer?

D) more closely attuned to the period in which they originated

from para1 we know the period the correspondence originated is in medieval time, however, para2 states that the expression method Elizabethan employed is divergent from its original medieval one, so there must be no attuned happen here


E) more precise because they were based on mathematical models

…. “based on mathematical models”, indeed para2 mention about mathematical equivalence, then follow by this says Elizabethan become less apt to the minutiae expression of these equivalence, also nowhere talks about the math model it based, this one can’t be correct




4. The author implies medieval correspondences were more than mere figures of speech because they

A) were laden with historical associations

medieval time, from the time point of view, can be historical compare to Elizabethan era, but nowhere in the passage touch on the issue of “historical association”

B) were used in a wide variety of contexts

….this should be Elizabethan correspondences

C) enabled medieval people to grasp new ideas

I choose (C) as that, to break down the former part of para1
correspondences were a method of thought and expression used
originally in the Middle Ages to compare two different things on the
basis of some perceived similarity in the order of their beings.
….this is the original purpose to the Medieval correspondence, and
beyond this, thought of why Medieval correspondence were more
than this-of figures of speech(1)


correspondences were used to make the world more
comprehensible…this is another purpose to the original one of
Medieval correspondence, and it offer a plausible reason in that it
can be the cause to the above question(1)

thus from the logic point of view, wouldn’t (C) be the correct answer?

D) enabled medieval thinkers to base their faith in an ordered universe on an endless accumulation of minutiae

(D) is the correct answer, however…

para2
On the other hand, it was becoming more difficult for Elizabethans to understand their world as part of a rigid, coherent order: the mathematical detail of correspondences became less apt; in contrast to medieval people, Elizabethans could not base their faith on the endless accumulation of minutiae. At the same time, they desired order.

…..we know from para2 that Elizabethans could not base their faith on the endless accumulation of minutiae, but how can we, by this, infer that this enable medieval thinkers also do the same thing?



if we deem, as from the meaning point of view, the word figures of speech equal to metaphor
para3
This Elizabethan hovering between equivalence and metaphor may become clearer in an example. Modern astronomers, hating the asteroids for being so many and so obstructive, have named them the vermin of the sky. This expression is no more than a metaphor with emotional content. To the Middle Ages this observation would have been a highly significant fact, a new piece of evidence for the unity of creation. The Elizabethans could take the matter both ways.

….this part of paragraph says that medieval correspondences were more than mere figures of speech(metaphor), but it doesn’t offer any definite cause which lead to this effect

E) expressed what were thought to be figurative relationships between abstract qualities

“abstract qualities” is out of scope

Ohkay Since I got Q3 right with my logic here is my take on Q3

3. In comparison to modern metaphors, the author finds Elizabethan correspondences to be (The author has been positive and supportive about the correspondences of E . So we are looking for an answer that shows support in positive manner . Don't forget that E did not like the mathematical way thats why E developed a different approach :They made the imagination use details for its own ends; equivalences shaded off into resemblances.)

A) less realistic because they were based on abstract reasoning - (Nowhere in the passage we have discussed about what is realistic and what is not . All is real . We are talking about how these people or some era connected feelings / incidences to convey / correspondence )
B) more elaborate because they were used only on formal occasions - (in para 2 its clearly mentioned they did not like formal stuff)
C) less figurative (less in written /rigid form = less mathematical based )because they were felt to explain an objective relationship (correspondences in the form of objects / resemblances ) PERFECT THIS IS OUR ANS .
D) more closely attuned to the period in which they originated (these lines are enough to reject this - the mathematical detail of correspondences became less apt; in contrast to medieval people, Elizabethans could not base their faith on the endless accumulation of minutiae.)
E) more precise because they were based on mathematical models (E didnt like maths )

1.The author implies that the purpose of medieval correspondences was to make the world more
[/b]
A) intense
B) novel
C) varied
D) mystifying
E) comprehensible:Correspondences were used to make the world more comprehensible correct.

2. With which of the following statements concerning the Elizabethan Age would the author be most likely to agree?
[/b]
A) Elizabethan knowledge about the world had outstripped the capacity of prevailing modes of thought to explain it.: Although the Elizabethan correspondences were the same as the medieval, they served different parts of the mind.
B) Elizabethan knowledge had not developed to the point where it would require a scientific revolution to explain new facts.
C) The Elizabethan Age was more interested in creating a scientific image of the world than in depicting the world poetically.
D) The Elizabethan Age allowed knowledge about the world to develop gradually and was not surprised by new or strange information.
E) Elizabethans continued to think of the world in medieval ways despite the accumulation of new and strange information.

3. In comparison to modern metaphors, the author finds Elizabethan correspondences to be
[/b]
A) less realistic because they were based on abstract reasoning
B) more elaborate because they were used only on formal occasions
C) less figurative because they were felt to explain an objective relationship: the comparision is between modern metaphors and Elizabethan correspondence. can be inferred from P 3
D) more closely attuned to the period in which they originated
E) more precise because they were based on mathematical models

4.The author implies medieval correspondences were more than mere figures of speech because they
[/b]
A) were laden with historical associations
B) were used in a wide variety of contexts
C) enabled medieval people to grasp new ideas
D) enabled medieval thinkers to base their faith in an ordered universe on an endless accumulation of minutiae : in contrast to medieval people, Elizabethans could not base their faith on the endless accumulation of minutiae. so it can be inferred that medieval thinker base their faith on the endless accumulation of minutiae.
E) expressed what were thought to be figurative relationships between abstract qualities
[/box_in][/box_out][/align][/quote]

Toughest RC passage I've encountered so far. As a non-native, I read it twice and still got only 2/4 correct!

Same here,

The passage was very dense. I read the passage thrice, yet I got only 2 correct.
If such passage comes in actual exam then it would be very tough to tackle.

GMATNinja, MartyTargetTestPrep, JonShukhrat, GMATGuruNY, AviGutman, AndrewN, DmitryFarber

Dear experts, I have been benefited from reading your posts. I need your advice on how to deal with hard RC.

I have found the RC above very hard. I didn't catch the meaning of each para. Can anyone please tell the meaning of each paragraph? If you showed how to solve the questions it would be great!

Is this actually from GMAT Prep?
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An excellent analysis of the passage and questions, JonShukhrat. I can see why your input was requested. Keep up the fine work.

- Andrew
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Hi Andrew,

Thank you very much for your kind words. Much appreciate. So generous of you.

Have a nice day.
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Well, JonShukhrat, I like to give credit where credit is due. I also remember how it used to feel on the outside, looking up to Experts and wondering if my posts could be held in such esteem. To be honest, at a certain point I just decided to engage with each question on my own terms, expressing my thoughts in a way I felt was interesting, and see what would come of it. I guess after a while, my posts simply caught the right eye. I urge you to assist the community in the same way you have done above. (I have taken note of some of your posts before; I remember the avatar.) When you write like that, everyone wins.

Cheers,
Andrew
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Got my a$$ handed to me in this RC. Normally I do well in 700 LVL RCs but this one thrashed me as The Hulk thrashed Loki.

GMATNinja, GMATNinjaTwo VeritasKarishma

For Q2, I am still struggling why A is the answer and D is not the right answer.

Your inputs would be helpful

Please suggest

Thanks@

Sajjad1994 coreyander : Please share official explanation for Q2 for options A and D.
Sajjad1994

The passage doesn't say that they were not surprised by new or strange information. It says that they used to find similarities with something familiar to make it easy to comprehend.

But it does say:
"Elizabethans were able to use these correspondences in their attempt to tame a bursting and pullulating world. Even if they could not tame a new fact by fitting it into a rigid scheme, at least they could grasp it by finding that it was like something already familiar."

So "the bursting and multiplying world with new facts" means their knowledge was increasing ... But they used similarities with familiar things for it to make sense.

So it seems likely that
"A) Elizabethan knowledge about the world had outstripped the capacity of prevailing modes of thought to explain it."
That is why they needed to find similarities with familiar things.

Hence (A) is correct.
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