JAIN09 wrote:
hello GMATNinja
can please tell me what does q1 choice D mean?
i was confused between choiceD and E
I'm happy to help,
JAIN09. Let's zero in on the two choices you'd like to clear up:
Quote:
1. The primary purpose of the passage is to
(D) explore how changes in a particular occupation serve to counter the prevailing view of a historical period
(E) examine a particular area of historical research in order to exemplify a general scholarly trend
Recall from my
previous post that overall, the author examines a particular area of historical research (the history of women’s work in English farmhouse cheese making between 1800 and 1930) to illustrate how the old analysis of women's status (which portrayed a consistent, unequivocal decline) is giving way to a new analysis (one that acknowledges the presence of positive change, negative change, and continuity).
Quote:
(D) explore how changes in a particular occupation serve to counter the prevailing view of a historical period
(D) is a tempting choice because
it sounds good. The author certainly talks about cheese making a lot, and does seem to counter a prevailing view of cheese making. However, our job as GMAT experts isn't to pick what sounds good. We need to answer the precise question being asked. This question is asking us for the
primary purpose of the passage, so that's what we need to find in our answer choices.
If we choose (D), we say that the
overall purpose of this passage is to explore how
changes in a particular occupation (various types of operations in cheese making) serve to
counter the prevailing view of a historical period (the history of women's work in English farmhouse cheese between 1800 and 1930).
But is the author trying to show us how CHANGES in cheese making served to counter the prevailing view? The prevailing view is that women's status declined consistently and unequivocally (without any doubt) with the advent of capitalism and industrialization. Pinchbeck's book fits with the prevailing view because it focuses on the decline (i.e. negative changes) in women's status. But Pinchbeck's book (the prevailing view) MISSES a "substantial element of
continuity in women’s participation: throughout the period women did the central work of actually making cheese."
The prevailing view is focused on the
changes in cheese making (i.e. the decline in women's status). But the new analysis focuses on improvement, decline, AND continuity. So it's the
continuity in English farmhouse cheesemaking--not the
changes--that serves to counter the prevailing view.
Quote:
(E) examine a particular area of historical research in order to exemplify a general scholarly trend
If we choose (E), we say that the
overall purpose of this passage is to examine a particular area of historical research (the history of women's work in English farmhouse cheese between 1800 and 1930) in order to
exemplify a general scholarly trend (the transition to the current style of historical analysis).
(E) is a much better fit for our understanding of the author's overall purpose. If there's any doubt left, double check the passage to confirm when and why the author brings up women's cheese making in the first place:
Quote:
In current historiography, the picture of a consistent, unequivocal decline in women’s status with the advent of capitalism and industrialization is giving way to an analysis that not only emphasizes both change (whether improvement or decline) and continuity but also accounts for geographical and occupational variation. The history of women’s work in English farmhouse cheese making between 1800 and 1930 is a case in point.
This passage sets out to tell us about a
change in the historical analysis of women's status during industrialization. The history of women's work in English cheese is one example of this greater trend in historiography. Therefore, (E) is the correct answer to question #1.
I hope this explanation wasn’t too cheesy! (OK, fine. That was pretty awful. Cut me some slack: I'm a new dad, and working on my
dad jokes....)
First congrats on being a new dad. My husband loves his dad jokes, daughter too young to understand, and I tolerate them. Keep you dad jokes going!
Second, I do have problems with this passage since the two views are not so clear. I understand what the old picture says - pretty clear: women's status is consistently declining with the advent of industrialization and capitalism. It has a stance, and it's saying something: it's making a statement and it has an opinion.
However, the "new way" in this passage is so subtle. The author doesn't explicitly states what that new way is, it says what the new way is focusing on. At the end of the passage, the stance is not clear to me - what are you trying to say? what is your opinion/ judgement on this? It's like this new guy is too afraid of being criticized that he's beating around the bush. Or it can also be that it's clear and I can't see it. Would you please help me? So I know what it emphasizes on (
.), but what does it actually say? Also what exactly that change (whether improvement or decline) of this new analysis mentioned in the passage? and the geographical and occupational variation - where is it mentioned?
close
)
