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14 Apr 2020, 10:44
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Question 1
C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
15%
(low)
Question Stats:
80% (03:04) correct
20%
(03:05) wrong
based on 310
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 2
B
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
95%
(hard)
Question Stats:
28% (01:56) correct 72%
(02:05) wrong
based on 339
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 3
E
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
65%
(hard)
Question Stats:
45% (01:23) correct 55%
(01:34) wrong
based on 329
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 4
D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
25%
(medium)
Question Stats:
69% (01:06) correct 31%
(01:14) wrong
based on 309
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Project RC Butler 2020 - Participate and win GMAT Club Tests.
Passage # 28, Date: 14-Apr-2020
This post is a part of Project RC Butler 2020. Click here for Details
Passage # 28, Date: 14-Apr-2020
This post is a part of Project RC Butler 2020. Click here for Details
In 1930, a century after the birth of Victorian poetess Christina Rossetti, writer and scholar Virginia Woolf identified her as “one of Shakespeare’s more recent sisters” whose life had been reclusively Victorian but whose artistic achievement was enduring. Woolf remembered Rossetti for the explosive originality, vivid imagery, and emotional energy of her poems. “A Birthday,” for instance, is no typical Victorian poem and is certainly unlike predictable works of the era’s bestknown women poets. Rossetti’s most famous poem, “Goblin Market,” is at once Christian, psychological, and pro-feminist. Like many of Rossetti’s works, it is extraordinarily original, risky in subject matter, and unorthodox in form. Its Christian allusions are obvious but grounded in opulent images whose lushness borders on the erotic.
From Rossetti’s work emerge not only emotional force, frequently-ironic playfulness, and intellectual vigor, but also an intriguing, enigmatic quality. “Winter: My Secret,” for example, combines these traits along with a very high (and un-Victorian) level of poetic self-consciousness. “How does one reconcile the aesthetic sensuality of Rossetti’s poetry with her repressed, ascetic lifestyle?” Woolf wondered. That Rossetti did indeed withhold a “secret” both from those intimate with her and from posterity is Lorna Packer’s thesis in her 1963 biography of Rossetti. Packer’s claim that Rossetti’s was a secret of the heart has since been disproved through the discovery of hundreds of letters by Rossetti, which reinforce the conventional image of her as pious, scrupulously abstinent, and semi-reclusive.
Yet the passions expressed in Rossetti’s love poems do expose the “secret” at the heart of both her life and art: a willingness to forego worldly pleasures in favor of an aestheticized Christian version of transcendent fulfillment in heaven. The world, for Rossetti, is a fallen place, and her work is pervasively designed to convey this inescapable truth. The beauty of her poetry must be seen, therefore, as an artistic strategy, a means toward a moral end.
From Rossetti’s work emerge not only emotional force, frequently-ironic playfulness, and intellectual vigor, but also an intriguing, enigmatic quality. “Winter: My Secret,” for example, combines these traits along with a very high (and un-Victorian) level of poetic self-consciousness. “How does one reconcile the aesthetic sensuality of Rossetti’s poetry with her repressed, ascetic lifestyle?” Woolf wondered. That Rossetti did indeed withhold a “secret” both from those intimate with her and from posterity is Lorna Packer’s thesis in her 1963 biography of Rossetti. Packer’s claim that Rossetti’s was a secret of the heart has since been disproved through the discovery of hundreds of letters by Rossetti, which reinforce the conventional image of her as pious, scrupulously abstinent, and semi-reclusive.
Yet the passions expressed in Rossetti’s love poems do expose the “secret” at the heart of both her life and art: a willingness to forego worldly pleasures in favor of an aestheticized Christian version of transcendent fulfillment in heaven. The world, for Rossetti, is a fallen place, and her work is pervasively designed to convey this inescapable truth. The beauty of her poetry must be seen, therefore, as an artistic strategy, a means toward a moral end.
1. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as qualities that emerge from Rossetti’s work EXCEPT:
(A) lush imagery
(B) ironic playfulness
(C) stark realism
(D) unorthodox form
(E) intellectual vigor
(A) lush imagery
(B) ironic playfulness
(C) stark realism
(D) unorthodox form
(E) intellectual vigor
2. Which of the following statements is most reasonably inferable from the passage?
(A) “Winter: My Secret” is Rossetti’s best-known poem.
(B) Rossetti was not among the bestknown poets during her era.
(C) The accounts of Rossetti’s life contained in Packer’s biography of Rossetti differ from those included in Woolf’s biography of Rossetti.
(D) Rossetti’s display of poetic self-consciousness drew criticism from her contemporaries.
(E) “Goblin Market” was published later than “A Birthday.”
(A) “Winter: My Secret” is Rossetti’s best-known poem.
(B) Rossetti was not among the bestknown poets during her era.
(C) The accounts of Rossetti’s life contained in Packer’s biography of Rossetti differ from those included in Woolf’s biography of Rossetti.
(D) Rossetti’s display of poetic self-consciousness drew criticism from her contemporaries.
(E) “Goblin Market” was published later than “A Birthday.”
3. The author discusses Packer’s thesis and its flaws in order to
(A) contrast the sensuality of Rossetti’s poetry with the relative starkness of her devotional commentary.
(B) reveal the secret to which Rossetti alludes in “Winter: My Secret.”
(C) call into question the authenticity of recently discovered letters written by Rossetti.
(D) compare Woolf’s understanding of Rossetti with a recent, more enlightened view.
(E) provide a foundation for the author’s own theory about Rossetti’s life and work.
(A) contrast the sensuality of Rossetti’s poetry with the relative starkness of her devotional commentary.
(B) reveal the secret to which Rossetti alludes in “Winter: My Secret.”
(C) call into question the authenticity of recently discovered letters written by Rossetti.
(D) compare Woolf’s understanding of Rossetti with a recent, more enlightened view.
(E) provide a foundation for the author’s own theory about Rossetti’s life and work.
4. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
(A) Newly-discovered evidence suggests that Rossetti’s works were misinterpreted by earlier critics and scholars.
(B) Rossetti can be compared to Shakespeare both in her private life and in the enduring quality of her work.
(C) Victorian poetry can be properly interpreted only by considering the personal life of the particular poet.
(D) The apparent inconsistency between Rossetti’s personal life and literary work are explained by Rossetti’s poems themselves.
(E) Rossetti’s artistic integrity served as a model for later women poets.
(A) Newly-discovered evidence suggests that Rossetti’s works were misinterpreted by earlier critics and scholars.
(B) Rossetti can be compared to Shakespeare both in her private life and in the enduring quality of her work.
(C) Victorian poetry can be properly interpreted only by considering the personal life of the particular poet.
(D) The apparent inconsistency between Rossetti’s personal life and literary work are explained by Rossetti’s poems themselves.
(E) Rossetti’s artistic integrity served as a model for later women poets.
14 Apr 2020, 21:07
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1. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as qualities that emerge from Rossetti’s work EXCEPT:
(A) lush imagery
not correct: mentioned in the first para as 'opulent images whose lushness borders'
(B) ironic playfulness
not correct: mentioned in the second para
(C) stark realism
correct: no mention of realism
(D) unorthodox form
not correct: from para 1, like many of Rossetti’s works, it is extraordinarily original, risky in subject matter, and unorthodox in form
(E) intellectual vigor
not correct: mentioned in para2
2. Which of the following statements is most reasonably inferable from the passage?
(A) “Winter: My Secret” is Rossetti’s best-known poem.
not correct: Goblin Market is the best-known poem
(B) Rossetti was not among the bestknown poets during her era.
not correct: para1 says '“A Birthday,” for instance, is no typical Victorian poem and is certainly unlike predictable works of the era’s bestknown women poets'
(C) The accounts of Rossetti’s life contained in Packer’s biography of Rossetti differ from those included in Woolf’s biography of Rossetti.
not correct: no info about Woolf's biography of Rossetti is given
(D) Rossetti’s display of poetic self-consciousness drew criticism from her contemporaries.
correct: from 'How does one reconcile the aesthetic sensuality of Rossetti’s poetry with her repressed, ascetic lifestyle? Woolf wondered', we can infer that there was some criticism about her life style and her poems
(E) “Goblin Market” was published later than “A Birthday.”
not correct: no timelines of Rossetti's poems are given
3. The author discusses Packer’s thesis and its flaws in order to
(A) contrast the sensuality of Rossetti’s poetry with the relative starkness of her devotional commentary.
not correct: Packer's thesis says Rossetti maintained secrecy but this claim was later disproved through discovery of Rossetti's letter, and then the author says his own version of Rossetti's life style 'Rossetti’s love poems do expose the “secret” at the heart of both her life and art'
(B) reveal the secret to which Rossetti alludes in “Winter: My Secret.”
not correct: no such connection
(C) call into question the authenticity of recently discovered letters written by Rossetti.
not correct: no discussion of authenticity of letters is mentioned in passage
(D) compare Woolf’s understanding of Rossetti with a recent, more enlightened view.
not correct: no such comparison is mentioned
(E) provide a foundation for the author’s own theory about Rossetti’s life and work.
correct: Packer's thesis says Rossetti maintained secrecy but this claim was later disproved through discovery of Rossetti's letter, and then the author says his own version of Rossetti's life style 'Rossetti’s love poems do expose the “secret” at the heart of both her life and art'
4. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
(A) Newly-discovered evidence suggests that Rossetti’s works were misinterpreted by earlier critics and scholars.
not correct: no discussion that Rossetti's works was misinterpreted
(B) Rossetti can be compared to Shakespeare both in her private life and in the enduring quality of her work.
not correct: Rossetti was compared to Shakespeare for her work
(C) Victorian poetry can be properly interpreted only by considering the personal life of the particular poet.
not correct: passage says '“A Birthday,” for instance, is no typical Victorian poem and is certainly unlike predictable works of the era’s bestknown women poets', so passage is not written to explain how to interpret Victorian poetry
(D) The apparent inconsistency between Rossetti’s personal life and literary work are explained by Rossetti’s poems themselves.
correct: Rossetti's poetic qualities given as 'explosive originality, vivid imagery, and emotional energy', and her poems display these qualities
(E) Rossetti’s artistic integrity served as a model for later women poets.
not correct: no discussion of her artistic integrity serving as a model is given
(A) lush imagery
not correct: mentioned in the first para as 'opulent images whose lushness borders'
(B) ironic playfulness
not correct: mentioned in the second para
(C) stark realism
correct: no mention of realism
(D) unorthodox form
not correct: from para 1, like many of Rossetti’s works, it is extraordinarily original, risky in subject matter, and unorthodox in form
(E) intellectual vigor
not correct: mentioned in para2
2. Which of the following statements is most reasonably inferable from the passage?
(A) “Winter: My Secret” is Rossetti’s best-known poem.
not correct: Goblin Market is the best-known poem
(B) Rossetti was not among the bestknown poets during her era.
not correct: para1 says '“A Birthday,” for instance, is no typical Victorian poem and is certainly unlike predictable works of the era’s bestknown women poets'
(C) The accounts of Rossetti’s life contained in Packer’s biography of Rossetti differ from those included in Woolf’s biography of Rossetti.
not correct: no info about Woolf's biography of Rossetti is given
(D) Rossetti’s display of poetic self-consciousness drew criticism from her contemporaries.
correct: from 'How does one reconcile the aesthetic sensuality of Rossetti’s poetry with her repressed, ascetic lifestyle? Woolf wondered', we can infer that there was some criticism about her life style and her poems
(E) “Goblin Market” was published later than “A Birthday.”
not correct: no timelines of Rossetti's poems are given
3. The author discusses Packer’s thesis and its flaws in order to
(A) contrast the sensuality of Rossetti’s poetry with the relative starkness of her devotional commentary.
not correct: Packer's thesis says Rossetti maintained secrecy but this claim was later disproved through discovery of Rossetti's letter, and then the author says his own version of Rossetti's life style 'Rossetti’s love poems do expose the “secret” at the heart of both her life and art'
(B) reveal the secret to which Rossetti alludes in “Winter: My Secret.”
not correct: no such connection
(C) call into question the authenticity of recently discovered letters written by Rossetti.
not correct: no discussion of authenticity of letters is mentioned in passage
(D) compare Woolf’s understanding of Rossetti with a recent, more enlightened view.
not correct: no such comparison is mentioned
(E) provide a foundation for the author’s own theory about Rossetti’s life and work.
correct: Packer's thesis says Rossetti maintained secrecy but this claim was later disproved through discovery of Rossetti's letter, and then the author says his own version of Rossetti's life style 'Rossetti’s love poems do expose the “secret” at the heart of both her life and art'
4. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
(A) Newly-discovered evidence suggests that Rossetti’s works were misinterpreted by earlier critics and scholars.
not correct: no discussion that Rossetti's works was misinterpreted
(B) Rossetti can be compared to Shakespeare both in her private life and in the enduring quality of her work.
not correct: Rossetti was compared to Shakespeare for her work
(C) Victorian poetry can be properly interpreted only by considering the personal life of the particular poet.
not correct: passage says '“A Birthday,” for instance, is no typical Victorian poem and is certainly unlike predictable works of the era’s bestknown women poets', so passage is not written to explain how to interpret Victorian poetry
(D) The apparent inconsistency between Rossetti’s personal life and literary work are explained by Rossetti’s poems themselves.
correct: Rossetti's poetic qualities given as 'explosive originality, vivid imagery, and emotional energy', and her poems display these qualities
(E) Rossetti’s artistic integrity served as a model for later women poets.
not correct: no discussion of her artistic integrity serving as a model is given
14 Apr 2020, 22:03
Kudos
Bookmarks
1. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as qualities that emerge from Rossetti’s work EXCEPT:
(A) lush imagery
(B) ironic playfulness
(C) stark realism
(D) unorthodox form
(E) intellectual vigor
(A), (B), (D) and (E) are clearly stated in the passage. Refer to the below sentences where each quality is referred.
(A) : "Its Christian allusions are obvious but grounded in opulent images whose lushness borders on the erotic."
(B) & (E) : "From Rossetti’s work emerge not only emotional force, frequently-ironic playfulness, and intellectual vigor, but also an intriguing, enigmatic quality."
(D) : "Like many of Rossetti’s works, it is extraordinarily original, risky in subject matter, and unorthodox in form."
Thus, only option (C) is not one of the qualities that emerge from Rossetti's work.
2. Which of the following statements is most reasonably inferred from the passage?
(A) “Winter: My Secret” is Rossetti’s best-known poem.
(B) Rossetti was not among the best known poets during her era.
(C) The accounts of Rossetti’s life contained in Packer’s biography of Rossetti differ from those included in Woolf’s biography of Rossetti.
(D) Rossetti’s display of poetic self-consciousness drew criticism from her contemporaries.
(E) “Goblin Market” was published later than “A Birthday.”
Let's try to reason each option for why it isn't mentioned in the passage, and the one left in the end will be our correct answer.
(A) False, because it is stated that "Goblin Market" is her most famous poem.
(C) If anything, Packer answers Woolf's dilemma. These two are not in contrast with each other with respect to their opinions about Rossetti. Hence, this option is also incorrect.
(D) Nowhere in the passage has this been stated. Her work was very different from her contemporaries, however, there is no mention of them criticizing her.
(E) The timeline of when these books were published is not mentioned.
We are left with option (B). It is stated in the passage that Rossetti led a reclusive Victorian life. Thus, we can say that she was not among the best known poets during her era.
3. The author discusses Packer’s thesis and its flaws in order to
(A) contrast the sensuality of Rossetti’s poetry with the relative starkness of her devotional commentary.
(B) reveal the secret to which Rossetti alludes in “Winter: My Secret.”
(C) call into question the authenticity of recently discovered letters written by Rossetti.
(D) compare Woolf’s understanding of Rossetti with a recent, more enlightened view.
(E) provide a foundation for the author’s own theory about Rossetti’s life and work.
The third paragraph is solely dedicated to the author's opinion and theory about Rossetti's life and work. Thus, to rule out a possible explanation/answer to reconcile Rossetti's life and work that the readers might have in mind and to set context for the author's explanation, she provides Packer's thesis.
4. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
(A) Newly-discovered evidence suggests that Rossetti’s works were misinterpreted by earlier critics and scholars. - No "newly-discovered evidence" is talked about in the passage.
(B) Rossetti can be compared to Shakespeare both in her private life and in the enduring quality of her work. - Incorrect, as this was Woolf's stance and is stated in the beginning of the passage. No mention of it anywhere else in the passage. Also, this does not encompass the whole idea of the passage.
(C) Victorian poetry can be properly interpreted only by considering the personal life of the particular poet. - Too broad. Generalization is done here. We're only interested in Rossetti's life, not of Victorian poets in general.
(D) The apparent inconsistency between Rossetti’s personal life and literary work are explained by Rossetti’s poems themselves.
(E) Rossetti’s artistic integrity served as a model for later women poets. - no such information to suggest that she inspired later women poets.
(A) lush imagery
(B) ironic playfulness
(C) stark realism
(D) unorthodox form
(E) intellectual vigor
(A), (B), (D) and (E) are clearly stated in the passage. Refer to the below sentences where each quality is referred.
(A) : "Its Christian allusions are obvious but grounded in opulent images whose lushness borders on the erotic."
(B) & (E) : "From Rossetti’s work emerge not only emotional force, frequently-ironic playfulness, and intellectual vigor, but also an intriguing, enigmatic quality."
(D) : "Like many of Rossetti’s works, it is extraordinarily original, risky in subject matter, and unorthodox in form."
Thus, only option (C) is not one of the qualities that emerge from Rossetti's work.
2. Which of the following statements is most reasonably inferred from the passage?
(A) “Winter: My Secret” is Rossetti’s best-known poem.
(B) Rossetti was not among the best known poets during her era.
(C) The accounts of Rossetti’s life contained in Packer’s biography of Rossetti differ from those included in Woolf’s biography of Rossetti.
(D) Rossetti’s display of poetic self-consciousness drew criticism from her contemporaries.
(E) “Goblin Market” was published later than “A Birthday.”
Let's try to reason each option for why it isn't mentioned in the passage, and the one left in the end will be our correct answer.
(A) False, because it is stated that "Goblin Market" is her most famous poem.
(C) If anything, Packer answers Woolf's dilemma. These two are not in contrast with each other with respect to their opinions about Rossetti. Hence, this option is also incorrect.
(D) Nowhere in the passage has this been stated. Her work was very different from her contemporaries, however, there is no mention of them criticizing her.
(E) The timeline of when these books were published is not mentioned.
We are left with option (B). It is stated in the passage that Rossetti led a reclusive Victorian life. Thus, we can say that she was not among the best known poets during her era.
3. The author discusses Packer’s thesis and its flaws in order to
(A) contrast the sensuality of Rossetti’s poetry with the relative starkness of her devotional commentary.
(B) reveal the secret to which Rossetti alludes in “Winter: My Secret.”
(C) call into question the authenticity of recently discovered letters written by Rossetti.
(D) compare Woolf’s understanding of Rossetti with a recent, more enlightened view.
(E) provide a foundation for the author’s own theory about Rossetti’s life and work.
The third paragraph is solely dedicated to the author's opinion and theory about Rossetti's life and work. Thus, to rule out a possible explanation/answer to reconcile Rossetti's life and work that the readers might have in mind and to set context for the author's explanation, she provides Packer's thesis.
4. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
(A) Newly-discovered evidence suggests that Rossetti’s works were misinterpreted by earlier critics and scholars. - No "newly-discovered evidence" is talked about in the passage.
(B) Rossetti can be compared to Shakespeare both in her private life and in the enduring quality of her work. - Incorrect, as this was Woolf's stance and is stated in the beginning of the passage. No mention of it anywhere else in the passage. Also, this does not encompass the whole idea of the passage.
(C) Victorian poetry can be properly interpreted only by considering the personal life of the particular poet. - Too broad. Generalization is done here. We're only interested in Rossetti's life, not of Victorian poets in general.
(D) The apparent inconsistency between Rossetti’s personal life and literary work are explained by Rossetti’s poems themselves.
(E) Rossetti’s artistic integrity served as a model for later women poets. - no such information to suggest that she inspired later women poets.
