Extended debate concerning the exact point of origin of individual fol

Question

New Project RC Butler 2019  -  Practice 2 RC Passages Everyday   
Passage # 77, Date : 11-MAR-2019
 This post is a part of New Project RC Butler 2019 .  Click here for Details

2-1 Section A 17-20

Extended debate concerning the exact point of origin of individual folktales told by Afro-American slaves has unfortunately taken precedence over analysis of the tales’ meaning and function. Cultural continuities with Africa were not dependent on importation and perpetuation of specific folktales in their pristine form. It is in the place that tales occupied in the lives of the slaves and in the meaning slaves derived from them that the clearest resemblances to African tradition can be found. Afro-American slaves did not borrow tales indiscriminately from the Whites among whom they lived. Black people were most influenced by those Euro-American tales whose functional meaning and aesthetic appeal had the greatest similarity to the tales with deep roots in their ancestral homeland. Regardless of where slave tales came from, the essential point is that, with respect to language, delivery, details of characterization, and plot, slaves quickly made them their own.   1 
 1.The author claims that most studies of folktales told by Afro-American slaves are inadequate because the studies

(A) fail to recognize any possible Euro-American influence on the folktales
(B) do not pay enough attention to the features of a folktale that best reveal an African influence
(C) overestimate the number of folktales brought from Africa by the slaves
(D) do not consider the fact that a folktale can be changed as it is retold many times
(E) oversimplify the diverse and complex traditions of the slaves ancestral homeland

2 
 2.The author’s main purpose is to

(A) create a new field of study
(B) discredit an existing field of study
(C) change the focus of a field of study
(D) transplant scholarly techniques from one field of study to another
(E) restrict the scope of a burgeoning new field of study

3 
 3. The passage suggests that the author would regard which of the following areas of inquiry as most likely to reveal the slaves’ cultural continuities with Africa?

(A) The means by which Blacks disseminated their folktales in nineteenth-century America
(B) Specific regional differences in the styles of delivery used by the slaves in telling folktales
(C) The functional meaning of Black folktales in the lives of White children raised by slave
(D) The specific way the slaves used folktales to impart moral teaching to their children
(E) The complexities of plot that appear most frequently in the slaves’ tales

4 
 4. Which of the following techniques is used by the author in developing the argument in the passage?

(A) Giving a cliché a new meaning
(B) Pointedly refusing to define key terms
(C) Alternately presenting generalities and concrete details
(D) Concluding the passage with a restatement of the first point made in the passage
(E) Juxtaposing statements of what is not the case and statements of what is the case

Sajjad1994 · Accepted Answer

tanmaywaghmare 
 Raj30

Trying to clear your doubt.

Explanation

1.The author claims that most studies of folktales told by Afro-American slaves are inadequate because the studies

If you have read these lines from passage and comprehend them as well the chances are high that you will click on the right choice

Extended debate   concerning   the exact point of origin of individual folktales told by Afro-American slaves has   unfortunately taken precedence over analysis of the tales’ meaning and function.

It says that the main concern is their stories have been changed in process of analysis and is the issue at hand

Analyze the Answer Choices

(A) fail to recognize any possible Euro-American influence on the folktales  - Although Euro-African influence has been discussed and The author did not deny the effects of Euro-American folktales on Afro-American folktales, but it didn't supported by the text that it is main concern about stories.

(B) do not pay enough attention to the   features of a folktale that best reveal   an African influence.  Supported by the lines from the passage

(C) overestimate the number of folktales brought from Africa by the slaves  - The  “NUMBER”  of imported folktales, from Africa, was not discussed in the passage

(D) do not consider the fact that a folktale can be changed as it is retold many times  - Although this point is stated as a minor idea, the main point of the author is not the changes that altered the “PRISTINE” form of imported folktales, but is the ignorance of Function, Meaning and Relation to African tradition which affects the importation of folktales.

(E) oversimplify the diverse and complex traditions of the slaves ancestral homeland  - No word was stated about the complexity of ancestral tradition of Africans. Moreover, it is not neglected aspects of the studies which were discussed by the author.

2.The author’s main purpose is to

(A) create a new field of study  - No new field of study was made.

(B) discredit an existing field of study  - Although an idea was criticized, a FIELD of study was not rejected.

(C) change the  focus  of a field of study  - This the exact point of the author to show the right direction for debates about the African folktales (Discussed in the first 4 lines)

(D) transplant scholarly techniques from one field of study to another  - No techniques were discussed in the passage.

(E) restrict the scope of a burgeoning new field of study  - Burgeoning new field of study is a mistaken wording, No restriction was specified in the passage.

3. The passage suggests that the author would regard which of the following areas of inquiry as most likely to reveal the slaves’ cultural continuities with Africa?

This is the inference question which is based on the thesis of the whole passage. As author mentioned, the “FUNCTION & MEANING” of the folktales in lives of Black people is the main issue of study rather than its point of origin. According to this “thesis”, we try to evaluate the options.

(A) The means by which Blacks disseminated their folktales in nineteenth-century America  - The word  “MEANS”  in this option used instead of  “TOOL of COMMUNICATION”.  In the passage it used as the word which indicated the “ INTENT or PURPOSE”  of folktales.

(B) Specific regional differences in the styles of delivery used by the slaves in telling folktales  - This option is related to the “ MEANING or FUNCTION”  of folktales in lives of Black people.

(C) The functional meaning of Black folktales in the lives of White children raised by slave  - The place of the folktale in “ LIVES OF BLACK”  people is the author`s intention, rather than its  “FUNCTIONAL MEANING in lives of “WHITE CHILDREN” . However, you can hold this option before finding decisive answer.

(D) The specific way the slaves used folktales to impart moral teaching to their children  - This option exactly shows the function of folktales in lives of black people. By means of these folktales, they transmitted the moral rules to their children. Compared to option (C), this option is completely correct

(E) The complexities of plot that appear most frequently in the slaves’ tales  - The  “COMPLEXITIES OF PLOT”  was not discussed in the passage. Moreover, it is not related to  “MEANING” or “FUNCTION”  of folktales on lives of Black people.

4. Which of the following techniques is used by the author in developing the argument in the passage?

(A) Giving a cliché a new meaning  - The author tried to introduce  “NEW”  aspect of study about BLACK`s FOLKTALES. No cliché is explained in the passage.

(B) Pointedly refusing to define key terms  - The author explicitly defined his purpose from the “MEANING & FUNCTION” of folktales.

(C) Alternately presenting generalities and concrete details  - The author discussed two different aspect of studies about Black folktales by stating some details. We hold this option.

(D) Concluding the passage with a restatement of the first point made in the passage  - The first point of the passage for studying the “MEANING & FUNCTION” of folktales, rather than their origin, was stated partially in the conclusion. However, the task of conclusion is to show the reader the quick absorption, and how it happened, of foreign folktales by Black people.

(E) Juxtaposing statements of what is not the case and statements of what is the case  - This is the exact way by which the author tried to develop the material. Once the author rejected the emphasize on the origin of folktales, he introduced his idea for researches on “MEANING & FUNCTION’ of imported folktales.

Hope it Helps

tanmaywaghmare · Answer

Experts, can you please explain Q3 and Q4?

Raj30 · Answer

Q1 stuck between A & B 
Q3 please explain

Debkumar94 · Answer

SajjadAhmad 
I understand your line of thinking. But how can we infer that those stories were used to impart moral teachings on their children? Apart from this, this is the best standing choice.

cool16 · Answer

1

It is in the place that tales occupied in the lives of the slaves and in the meaning slaves derived from them that the clearest resemblances to African tradition can be found.

Reworded without the cleft:

The clearest resemblances to African tradition can be found in the place that tales occupied in the lives of the slaves and in the meaning slaves derived from them.

The resemblances are found

a) in the place that tales occupied in the lives of the slaves

and

b) in the meaning the slaves derived from them (the tales).

Tales occupied a place in the lives of the slaves. When referring to that place we can say:

...the place that tales occupied in the lives of the slaves.

place is figurative, since "lives" are not spatial. place they occupied is analogous to role they played.

The clearest resemblances to African tradition can be found in the role that tales played in the lives of the slaves and in the meaning slaves derived from them.

Harsh9676 · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994 ,

Need help in eliminating C in Q4. I felt both E and C are true.. and In-addition C completes it by stating that the author gave concrete details.

Thanks in Advance,
Harsh

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Please read the explanation in the post below. https://gmatclub.com/forum/extended-deb ... l#p2245071 Thank you

Raman109 · Answer

4. Which of the following techniques is used by the author in developing the argument in the passage?

(A) Giving a cliché a new meaning - Out of scope.

(B) Pointedly refusing to define key terms - Out of scope.

(C) Alternately presenting generalities and concrete details-No.

(D) Concluding the passage with a restatement of the first point made in the passage - 
The first point is that A has taken prevalence over B.
Had this option been correct, the last sentence would have looked like this - "In focusing so intently on where these folktales originated, scholars have often overlooked the more critical aspect of how these tales were understood and used by slaves, underscoring the need to shift our focus from origins to meanings and functions." This means that while focusing on A, scholars have overlooked B.

Instead, the last sentence says - "Regardless of where slave tales came from, the essential point is that, with respect to language, delivery, details of characterization, and plot, slaves quickly made them their own." So it is "regardless of A, salves have focussed on B. It substantiates the importance of B.

(E) Juxtaposing statements of what is not the case and statements of what is the case - "The term "juxtaposition" refers to placing two or more things side by side or close together for the purpose of comparison, contrast, or to create an interesting or thought-provoking relationship."

Here is how the author has used Juxtaposition in the passage if we check every sentence
 
  What is not the case : "Extended debate concerning the exact point of origin of individual folktales told by Afro-American slaves has unfortunately taken precedence over analysis of the tales’ meaning and function."

This sentence highlights a misplaced focus on the origin of the folktales rather than their meaning and function.   
  What is the case : "It is in the place that tales occupied in the lives of the slaves and in the meaning slaves derived from them that the clearest resemblances to African tradition can be found."

Here, the author shifts focus to what they believe is more significant: the role and meaning of these tales in the slaves' lives and their connection to African traditions.   
  What is not the case : "Afro-American slaves did not borrow tales indiscriminately from the Whites among whom they lived."

This statement counters a potential assumption that slaves uncritically adopted tales from their white counterparts.   
  What is the case : "Black people were most influenced by those Euro-American tales whose functional meaning and aesthetic appeal had the greatest similarity to the tales with deep roots in their ancestral homeland."

The author then clarifies that the slaves were selective, favoring tales that resonated with their African heritage.   
  What is not the case : The passage implies that the debate over the origin of the tales (whether they are African or Euro-American in origin) is less important. 
  What is the case : "Regardless of where slave tales came from, the essential point is that, with respect to language, delivery, details of characterization, and plot, slaves quickly made them their own."

This sentence emphasizes the adaptation and transformation of these tales by the slaves, making them part of their own cultural narrative regardless of their origin.    
Through this juxtaposition, the author effectively contrasts the less important focus on the tales' origins with the more significant aspects of their adaptation and cultural significance for the Afro-American slaves.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Extended debate concerning the exact point of origin of individual fol

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Extended debate concerning the exact point of origin of individual fol

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