Last visit was: 14 May 2026, 07:25 It is currently 14 May 2026, 07:25
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
aaba
Joined: 08 Jan 2018
Last visit: 20 Nov 2019
Posts: 165
Own Kudos:
1,047
 [4]
Given Kudos: 332
Location: United States (ID)
GPA: 3.33
WE:Accounting (Accounting)
Posts: 165
Kudos: 1,047
 [4]
Kudos
Add Kudos
4
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
arun6765
Joined: 24 Mar 2017
Last visit: 16 Sep 2019
Posts: 106
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 151
Location: India
GMAT 1: 680 Q49 V34
GPA: 3.98
GMAT 1: 680 Q49 V34
Posts: 106
Kudos: 248
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
avatar
l01os
Joined: 08 Feb 2017
Last visit: 21 May 2019
Posts: 3
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 21
Posts: 3
Kudos: 1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
kitkat4620
Joined: 22 Jan 2024
Last visit: 13 May 2026
Posts: 7
Given Kudos: 57
Products:
Posts: 7
Kudos: 0
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
D doesn’t establish Colonna as the author. It simply says the letters formed by reading the first letter form his name, does it mean Colonna wrote? Could be a fan of Colonna who wrote?
B is a stronger answer imo
User avatar
guddo
Joined: 25 May 2021
Last visit: 13 May 2026
Posts: 1,161
Own Kudos:
11,793
 [1]
Given Kudos: 32
Posts: 1,161
Kudos: 11,793
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili is a romance published in 1499 that, though the author was originally anonymous, has been attributed to Francesco Colonna. Some academics, however, doubt that Colonna is the author because, as a Dominican monk, he would not have the skill or experience to produce such a work. One academic has recently made the assertion that the attribution is correct, citing as evidence Colonna’s proximity to the text’s publisher, Aldus Manutius, and the wealth of other complex Renaissance works of literature confirmed to be written and compiled by talented members of the clergy. In light of this argument, it is clear that it is indeed possible that a member of a monastic order may have produced such a text.

Which of the following, if true, would most support the academic’s recent hypothesis concerning the authorship of Hypnerotomachia Poliphili?

The academic argues that Colonna could have written the text and that the attribution to him is correct. The strongest support would be evidence directly linking Colonna to the text itself, not merely evidence that monks were capable of writing complex works.

A. The only indication that Colonna had anything to do with Hypnerotomachia Poliphili is his proximity to its publisher.

This weakens the hypothesis. It says the evidence for Colonna is very limited.

B. Modern translators of the text have seen fit to attribute its composition to Colonna.

This helps somewhat, but it is weak. It shows that some modern scholars accept the attribution, but it does not give direct evidence that Colonna wrote the text.

C. Much of the writing in Renaissance Europe was published anonymously.

This explains why the text might have been anonymous, but it does not specifically connect Colonna to the work.

D. An acrostic produced by reading the first letter of each chapter in Hypnerotomachia Poliphili forms Colonna’s name.

This is correct. If the text itself contains a hidden pattern spelling Colonna’s name, that is direct internal evidence supporting the claim that Colonna was the author.

E. Hypnerotomachia Poliphili contains few if any references to the monastic life that Colonna would have been familiar with.

This weakens or at least does not help. If the text lacks material connected to Colonna’s life, it gives no support for his authorship.

Answer: (D)
Moderators:
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7393 posts
564 posts
368 posts