6 mins 40 secs and got 3 out of 4. This is a very difficult RC as most of the discussion is unknown to the general reader. I still do not have a clue what an MS or an MSS is. :-|
MP - Editing is difficult and low-quality editors always find a way to escape hard work. The 19th century saw some great editors and nowadays low-quality editors are finding it hard to avoid bad editing.
1. The author‘s discussion takes the reader to the topic of the Erfurtensis MS in
paragraph two. The example of this manuscript is relevant to the claim that:
A. the Erfurtensis MS is not very reliable.
Not the point of bringing it up even if it somewhat relatedB. no single MS can be assumed to be always right.
Bingo - the example is used to show that no single MS ( whatever that is !) is absolutely right.C. Madvig was a lazy editor.
BS option- maybe he was a bad editor but nothing is mentioned about lazy. in fact, he did more than his contemporaries...D. MSS must be weighed, not counted.
Mentioned in the passage but not in this contextE. every MS is either right or wrong
Not mentioned2. According to the various arguments put forth by the author of the passage,
which of the following are true about the editing of classics?
I. It has not been undertaken in the case of Cicero.
YES it has! Two examples are shared in paragraph 2 w.r.t the same.II. It is sometimes undertaken by people who are unable to do it correctly.
Correct - this is the main point of the passageIII. There were important advances in the field during the 19th century.
Correct - Author mentions 19th century giants / greatsA. I and II only
B. II and III only
CORRECT CHOICEC. I and III only
D. I, II and III
E. None of the above
BE CAREFUL Q3 is an "except" question3. Suppose that the author is present at a panel discussion on the topic of this
passage where all of the following statements are made by other panellists.
According to the arguments he has put forth in the text, the author is LEAST
likely to agree with which of the following statements?
A. It should not be assumed that the majority of the MSS of a classical
text are correct.
Yup - this is what the author mentions in paragraph 2B. Madvig was a better editor than Klotz, Soldan, or Benecke.
TRAP - even if it seems a bit extreme the author does mention it in the passage while introducing the contemporaries C. It is a mistake to think that one MS of a particular text is better than
another.
The author clearly favours MSS over MS in the paragraphD. There is no simple rule for editing that eliminates the need for critical
discrimination.
Yep - the author says editing is a tough task and most editors do not know how to do it.E. The Erfurtensis was one of the best known MS in the period 1830-1840
Yes - clearly mentioned in para 2Need to understand the MP to answer this one4. In spite of what may or may not appear in the first paragraphs of the
passage, the bulk of the passage is devoted to showing:
A. that incompetent editors have developed methods for avoiding the
difficulties of responsible editing.
BINGO - clearly mentioned by the author in the ending lines and the throughout the passage - this is the MPB. that the Erfurtensis MS is no longer considered the best MS of Cicero‘s
pro rege Deiotaro.
Too detailed to be the MPC. that it was discovered in the nineteenth century that MSS must be
weighed, not merely counted.
TRUE but detailedD. that Cicero was editing more often during the 1830s than during any
other decade.
BS OptionE. that responsible editing has become an extinct concept
Not what author thinks - AUthor does say most are lazy editors implying some ( like the 19th-century ones) are exceptionsVerdict - Tough passage! I would say not GMAT like :-\
Best,
Gladi
_________________
Regards,
Gladi
“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back)