In a 1978 lecture titled The Detective Story, Jorge Luis Borges obse

Question

Passage A

In a 1978 lecture titled “The Detective Story,”
Jorge Luis Borges observes that, “The detective novel
has created a special type of reader,” and adds, “If Poe
created the detective story, he subsequently created the
  (5)   reader of detective fiction.” For Borges, this “special
type of reader” confronts literature with such “incredulity
and suspicions” that he or she might read any narrative
as a detective story. Borges’s interest in this particular
genre, of course, inspired a good deal of his own
  (10)   fiction, but his account also draws our attention to 
an insight into the general nature of literature.

Literature, according to Borges, is “an aesthetic
event” that “requires the conjunction of reader and
text,” and what the detective story highlights, he
  (15)   suggests, is the way in which the reader forms the
conditions of possibility for this “aesthetic event.”
Borges imagines that the participation of the reader is
not extrinsic to but instead essential to the literary text.
Thus, what unites works belonging to the same genre
  (20)   is the way those works are read, rather than, say, a
set of formal elements found within the works.

Passage B

One can, if one wants, define genres of fiction as
sets of texts sharing certain thematic similarities, but
the taxonomic difficulties of such an approach are
  (25)   notorious. The problem of “borderline cases”—
especially in science fiction—arises so often that the
definition fails to demarcate genres entirely. A more
fruitful way to characterize the distinction between
genres is to view it as a distinction between reading
  (30)   protocols: between ways of reading, responding to
sentences, and making various sentences and various
texts make sense. We are free to read any text by any
reading protocol we wish. But the texts most central to
a genre are those texts that were clearly written to
  (35)   exploit a particular protocol—texts that yield a
particularly rich reading experience when read
according to one protocol rather than another.

Our major critical effort must therefore be an
exploration of the specific workings of many of the
  (40)   individual rhetorical configurations that contour,
exploit, or even create a specific reading protocol.
Here—to give an example outside of fiction—is a
general description of one aspect of the reading
protocols associated with poetry: with poetry, we tend
  (45)   to pay more attention to the sound of the words than
we do with prose. Therefore we look for rhetorical
figures that exploit, among other things, the phonic
aspects of the words making up the text. With science
fiction, much of the significance of the story will
  (50)   manifest itself in the alternative workings of the world
in which the characters maneuver. Therefore we will
pay particular attention to the rhetorical figures by
which differences between our world and the world of
the story are suggested.    1 
 1. Both passages are concerned with answering which one of the following questions?

(A) Can works of fiction that belong to a popular genre have literary value?
(B) Who created the genre of detective fiction?
(C) What determines whether a work of fiction belongs to a particular genre rather than another?
(D) What is an author's role in determining the genre to which a story written by the author belongs?
(E) What does science fiction have in common with detective fiction?

2 
 2. The authors of the passages would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Short works of fiction are easier to categorize by genre than longer works.
(B) The first works of detective fiction and science fiction were written as artistic exercises, rather than as entertainment.
(C) There is no scholarly value in attempting to demarcate the boundaries of a genre of fiction.
(D) Genre stories are typically of literary value in proportion to the degree to which they defy the conventions of the genre to which they belong.
(E) Two works of fiction could have very similar plots, characters, and settings and yet belong to different genres.

3 
 3. Which one of the following most accurately describes the stance expressed by the author of passage A toward Borges's view?

(A) complete agreement
(B) reluctant acceptance
(C) cautious neutrality
(D) strong skepticism
(E) outright rejection

4 
 4. Which one of the following is true about the argumentative structures of the two passages?

(A) Passage A moves from the specific to the general, whereas passage B moves from the general to the specific.
(B) Passage A begins with a discussion of a competing view, whereas passage B builds up to such a discussion.
(C) Both passages respond to a series of counterexamples to their main thesis.
(D) Both passages open with a description of an apparent contradiction that they then attempt to resolve.
(E) Both passages explore the implications of a thought experiment described at the outset.

5 
 5. The author of passage B would be most likely to agree with which one of the following?

(A) Fictional works that were not written to exploit the reading protocol of a particular genre are sometimes borderline cases of that genre.
(B) Readers' expectations regarding a particular fictional work are not essential to its genre classification.
(C) Thematic similarities constitute the most useful basis for demarcating genres of fiction.
(D) The interpretation of a sentence that appears in a fictional work does not depend on the genre to which the work belongs.
(E) Every work of fiction of a given genre must include the themes and other content
elements that are shared by the central works of that genre.

6 
 6. Borges and the author of passage B would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) TThe genre of fiction to which a story belongs is fully determined by the author's intention.
(B) Any science fiction story could be read as if it were a detective story.
(C) Every work of fiction unambiguously belongs to some particular genre or other.
(D) Some rhetorical figures appear in poetry that never appear in prose fiction.
(E) A story cannot be truly enjoyed unless the reader knows to which genre it is supposed to belong.

7 
 7. Which one of the following is an application of a principle underlying passage B to the view of detective fiction ascribed to Borges in passage A?

(A) A story in the genre of detective fiction cannot include any supernatural characters or events.
(B) Stories in the genre of detective fiction portray crimes that inevitably reflect the social anxieties of the time in which they were written.
(C) Stories in the genre of detective fiction employ rhetorical figures designed to encourage readers' suspicions about characters and events in the story.
(D) A story in the genre of detective fiction must involve the unraveling of a puzzle, the solution to which is discovered by the reader along with the protagonist of the story.
(E) The reading protocols associated with detective fiction are too universally applicable to constitute a well defined literary genre.

shauryahanda · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994 ,

For que 3, I do not see author expressing any of his own pov for Borges. He has simply stated what Borges has said and written. How can I call this complete acceptance?

Could you please share the official answer

Sajjad1994 · Answer

The passage from Borges' lecture that is quoted in  Passage A  is presented as a way of supporting the author's own argument about the nature of literature. Borges suggests that the participation of the reader is essential to the literary text, and the author of Passage A agrees with this view. Therefore, the author of  Passage A  is expressing complete agreement with Borges' stance.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. Which one of the following is true about the argumentative structures of the two passages?

Explanation

Step 1: Identify the Question Type

The question asks for the  “argumentative structures”  of the passages, making this a Method of Argument question like those found in Logical Reasoning.

Step 2: Research the Relevant Text

Because the question asks about the structures of the entire passages, all of the text is relevant. However, the question is about how the passages are structured rather than the content, so consult your margin notes to see how all of the information is organized.

Step 3: Make a Prediction

Passage A starts out with information about detective novels that is then expanded upon to apply to all literature. Passage B jumps right in with a discussion of fiction, in general, and then provides specific examples to back up the main idea. Expect the correct answer to play off these reversed structures.

Step 4: Evaluate the Answer Choices

(A)  is correct. Passage A moves from specific (detective novels) to general, while passage B goes from general ideas to specific (poetry and science fiction).

(B)  immediately distorts passage A. The views of Borges in passage A are consistent with the author’s, not competing.

(C)  is Out of Scope for passage A. All of the views presented in passage A are consistent with, not counter to, the author’s views. Further, passage B has no counterexamples, either.

(D)  is Out of Scope. Neither passage brings up any contradictions that need to be resolved.

(E)  is Out of Scope. Neither passage begins with any thought experiments.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. The author of passage B would be most likely to agree with which one of the following?

Explanation

Step 1: Identify the Question Type

The question asks for something with which the author of passage B is  “most likely to agree,”  making this an Inference question.

Step 2: Research the Relevant Text

The question only asks about passage B, so only that passage is relevant. However, without any further clues, there is no way to research anything speciõcally. Instead, focus on the big picture.

Step 3: Make a Prediction

Keep in mind that passage B encourages the use of reading protocols to classify works of fiction. The correct answer should be consistent with that point of view. Only research choices are necessary to confirm that there is direct support for the correct answer. Step 5: Evaluate the Answer Choices

(A)  is supported. According to  lines 33–35 , the texts  “most central”  to a genre are those written to exploit a specific protocol. That suggests the ones not written to exploit a protocol are not most central to the genre and thus more likely to be a “borderline case,” as described earlier in the paragraph.

(B)  is a 180, at worst. The principle in passage B is that genre classification is based on the reader’s experience, so it seems contradictory to suggest that reader expectations are not essential.

(C)  is a 180. Passage B starts by saying that one can use thematic similarities to classify genres. However, the author immediately expresses problems with that idea and presents a “ more fruitful”  method starting in  line 27.

(D)  is a 180. The reading protocols that define genres according to passage B include the ways in which readers respond to and make sense of individual sentences  (lines 30–32)

(E)  is a 180, at worst. The point of passage B is that genre classification shouldn’t be based on themes and other literary elements. It should be based on the reading protocols. So, some books in a genre may have completely different themes but the same reading protocol.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

6. Borges and the author of passage B would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

Explanation

Step 1: Identify the Question Type

The question asks for something about which Borges (from passage A) and the author of passage B are  “most likely to agree.”  That makes this an Inference question.

Step 2: Research the Relevant Text

Borges’s views are throughout passage A, and passage B consists entirely of the author’s views. That makes almost all of the text relevant. It’s best to look at the individual views of Borges, rather than the views of passage A’s author. Then, consider which views are consistent with passage B, and use that as a prediction.

Step 3: Make a Prediction

In the õrst paragraph of passage A, Borges claims that detective novels have created special readers who now read any literature with the same incredulous, suspicious eye. In the second paragraph, Borges pushes that literature is an “aesthetic event” that marries the reader and the text. The views of passage B are consistent with both of these ideas, so look for an answer that matches at least one.

Step 4: Evaluate the Answer Choices

(B)  is correct. Borges suggests that the readers of detective stories will now read any narrative as if it were a detective story  (lines 5–8) . And the author of passage B verifies this in  lines 32–33  by saying people can read any text in any way they want.

(A)  is Extreme. To both Borges and the author of passage B, the genre is dependent on the reader’s protocol and is not fully determined by the author’s intention.

(C)  is Extreme. In passage B, the author suggests that the texts  “most central to a genre”  will be clearly classified. However, there could still be some texts that are not central and still on the borderline.

(D)  is Out of Scope for Borges, who never discusses poetry versus prose, and Extreme for passage B. Passage B only says that we pay more attention to certain figures in poetry than we do in prose. That does not mean such figures never appear in prose.

(E)  is extreme. Knowing the genre and reading the story with a particular reading protocol will certainly create a more rewarding experience, but that doesn’t mean readers won’t enjoy the story at all otherwise.

Answer: B

nikitathegreat · Answer

Borges’s interest in this particular
genre, of course, inspired a good deal of his own
(10) fiction, but his account also draws our attention to
an insight into the general nature of literature.

We donot know whether this is complete agreement or cautious neutrality or reluctance acceptance? The above sentence says that this account draws our attention to an insight into the general nature of literature. 
 GMATNinja   marty  Murray - Can you please help?
Thanks

GMATNinja · Answer

There's nothing in the first passage indicating that the author is "reluctantantly" accepting Borges's view. If that were the case, we'd see some reason why the author does NOT want to accept that view, and we don't get that in the passage. As for (C), "cautious neutrality" suggests that the author is being very careful not to take sides and to indicate that more analysis is needed. Here's something that might fit that description: "Borges's view is interesting, but we need to further examine the contexts {blah blah blah} before commenting on how appropriate or relevant that view is..." (A) is tricky because the author never comes out and directly says, "I agree with Borges 100%!" But the author does say that " account also draws our attention to an insight into the general nature of literature ." The term "an insight" implies an understanding of the way things work. The author wouldn't use that word if he/she did NOT agree with Borges's view. In other words, it's only an insight if it accurately describes reality, so the author must agree that Borges's view (and the insight stemming from it) is accurate. This is supported by the last sentence of Passage A. Sure, the author is describing Borges's view, but the author presents that view as a statement of fact -- "here's Borges's view... it gives us this insight and shows us that what unites works belonging to the same genre is the way those works are read {...}". This sure SOUNDS like an author who agrees with Borges and wants to show the reader what we can learn from Borges's view. If the author is in fact neutral, then he/she does NOT do a good job of playing devil's advocate against Borges's view. There's absolutely nothing in Passage A that goes against Borges's view, and there's no hint of cautiousness or reluctance. So even though (A) isn't stated directly, it's our best answer. By the way, these two-passage RCs don't show up on the GMAT in this format, so don't worry about this one too much.

VerbalBot · Answer

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In a 1978 lecture titled The Detective Story, Jorge Luis Borges obse

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In a 1978 lecture titled The Detective Story, Jorge Luis Borges obse

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