In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses a scene of public execution to m

Question

In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses a scene of public execution to moving effect, and translates his own repulsion for public capital punishment into one of his fiction's most iconic moments. Dickens's views on capital punishment were expressed first in Sketches by Boz (1836), in a series of letters to the Daily News in 1846, and in two letters to the Times in 1849. His position on capital punishment shifted across the years from one of arguing for the complete abolition of this form of punishment to the desire that any executions deemed necessary be carried out privately in front of only a few legally appointed officials.

Dickens argues that the threat of capital punishment brings the law itself into disrepute by glamorizing the criminal and invoking sympathy for him or her, rather than the victim. He suggests, more controversially, that the recognition of the death penalty as a foregone conclusion for murder might actually provoke crime. Dickens believes that the death penalty may pervert justice through juries' reluctance to condemn a prisoner who would inevitably die as a result of their action, and through their awareness that wrong verdicts offer no means of reparation. They have also, in Dickens's view, to balance the commission of relative wrongs: “Which is the greater wrong to society? To give this man the benefit of the possibility of his being mad (and therefore to evade capital punishment), or to have another public execution, with all its depraving and hardening influences?”

This ties in with Dickens's greatest anxiety, which concerns the effect of witnessing executions on the crowds that gathered around the scaffold as they would for any form of popular entertainment. Dickens's letter to the Times of 13 November 1849 distils his abhorrence of execution as a form of public spectacle that fundamentally degrades its spectators.   1 
 1. What is the primary purpose of the passage?

A. Echo Dickens’ attitude towards public executions
B. Chronicle the changes in Dickens’ perspective on capital punishment
C. Highlight Dickens’ apprehensions about the effect of public executions on the witnessing crowds
D. Narrate the concerns that Dickens has expressed about the demerits of capital punishment
E. Question the practice of public executions that was prevalent until the nineteenth century

2 
 2. According to Dickens, each of the following is a drawback of capital punishment, EXCEPT

A. The criminal, as opposed to the victim, being glamorized and receiving public sympathy
B. The victim receiving inordinate, and often unwanted, public attention
C. Knowledge about his ultimate fate instigating a criminal to commit murder
D. The jury put into a dilemma because their verdict may condemn a prisoner to an irreversible fate
E. The people’s unhealthy enthusiasm to witness public executions

3 
 3. It can be inferred from the passage that Dickens would be most likely to disagree with which of the following

A. Abolishing capital punishment can help avoid the perversion of justice brought about by the juries’ predicament
B. Giving benefit of doubt to an alleged criminal on account of his claim of madness may constitute a societal wrong
C. Private executions that only a few members of the public can witness are more favourable compared to public executions
D. Witnessing executions may have degrading and desensitising effects on the public’s mentality
E. Removing the prospect of capital punishment may draw public attention and sympathy away from the criminal

globaldesi · Accepted Answer

Official Solution

1. OA: D

Tag: Big picture

Option A is incorrect as the author does not 'echo' Dickens' opinion anywhere – in the entire passage, nowhere can we find a hint about what the author thinks. Option B is incorrect because the passage does not 'chronicle' Dickens' views – 'chronicle' means a timeline-based narration. Option C is incorrect because the effect on crowds is only one of Dickens' many concerns – not the primary purpose. Option E is incorrect as the author does not 'question' the practice – he merely describes Dickens' views on it.

2. OA: B

Tag: According to

This is an EXCEPT question – so we need to eliminate every option that is mentioned in the passage. Option A (lines 8-9), option C (lines 10-11), D (11 to 13) and E (lines 18-19). The victim receiving attention is not mentioned in the passage.

3. OA: C

Tag: Inference

This is a DISAGREE question. So eliminate all the answer options that Dickens is likely to agree with. Option A: According to Dickens, capital punishment is making juries reluctant to mete out justice because their verdict would condemn the accused to an irreversible fate, thus perverting justice (lines 11 to 13). So, the reverse of this – option A – is something Dickens may agree with. Option B: In lines 14-15, Dickens refers to giving benefit of doubt to an accused on grounds of madness as a societal wrong. Option D: Indicated in lines 16-17. Option E: In lines 8-9, Dickens says that the threat of capital punishment glamorizes the criminal and gets him sympathy – so he is likely to agree with the opposite of this, given in choice E. Dickens favoured private executions witnessed by legally appointed officials, not fewer members of the general public. He would disagree with this statement. Hence, Option C is the right answer.

gmatt10 · Answer

Hii, i have a doubt about the answer to the 3rd question of the passage, as the last part of the first paragraph explicitly mentioned that dickens view shifted from complete abolition of capital punishment to letting few elected people to attend the execution which implies that he agrees with the latter. Also, , according to me the answer should be D as in the last paragraph it is mentioned that people would gather to see it a form of public entertainment.

dhwanit2412 · Answer

The 3rd question's answer does no seem appropriate. The answer option keeps a lot of open assumptions which the reader has to make while answering rather than normal methods of RC solving.

lanqing32 · Answer

C for question 3 is wrong because it said people from public while the passage says” few legally appointed officials”

VerbalBot · Answer

Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot:

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

This post was generated automatically.

In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses a scene of public execution to m

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses a scene of public execution to m

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards