It is possible for students to obtain advanced degrees in English

Question

It is possible for students to obtain advanced degrees in English while knowing little or nothing about traditional scholarly methods. The consequences of this neglect of traditional scholarship are particularly unfortunate for the study of women writers. If the canon—the list of authors whose works are most widely taught—is ever to include more women, scholars must be well trained in historical scholarship and textual editing. Scholars who do not know how to read early manuscripts, locate rare books, establish a sequence of editions, and so on are bereft of crucial tools for revising the canon.

To address such concerns, an experimental version of the traditional scholarly methods course was designed to raise students’ consciousness about the usefulness of traditional learning for any modern critic or theorist. To minimize the artificial aspects of the conventional course, the usual procedure of assigning a large number of small problems drawn from the entire range of historical periods was abandoned, though this procedure has the obvious advantage of at least superficially familiarizing students with a wide range of reference sources. Instead students were engaged in a collective effort to do original work on a neglected eighteenth-century writer, Elizabeth Griffith, to give them an authentic experience of literary scholarship and to inspire them to take responsibility for the quality of their own work.

Griffith’s work presented a number of advantages for this  particular pedagogical purpose . First, the body of extant scholarship on Griffith was so tiny that it could all be read in a day; thus students spent little time and effort mastering the literature and had a clear field for their own discoveries. Griffith’s play  The Platonic Wife  exists in three versions, enough to provide illustrations of editorial  issues  but not too many for beginning students to manage. In addition, because Griffith was successful in the eighteenth century, as her continued productivity and favorable reviews demonstrate, her exclusion from the canon and virtual disappearance from literary history also helped raise issues concerning the current canon.

The range of Griffith’s work meant that each student could become the world’s leading authority on a particular Griffith text. For example, a student studying Griffith’s  Wife in the Right  obtained a first edition of the play and studied it for some weeks. This student was suitably shocked and outraged to find its title transformed into  A Wife in the Night  in Watt’s Bibliotheca Britannica. Such experiences, inevitable and common in working on a writer to whom so little attention has been paid, serve to vaccinate the student—I hope for a lifetime—against credulous use of reference sources.    1 
 1. The author of the passage is primarily concerned with

(A) revealing a commonly ignored deficiency
(B) proposing a return to traditional terminology
(C) describing an attempt to correct a shortcoming
(D) assessing the success of a new pedagogical approach
(E) predicting a change in a traditional teaching strategy

2 
 2. It can be inferred that the author of the passage expects that the experience of the student mentioned as having studied  Wife in the Right  would have which of the following effects?

(A) It would lead the student to disregard information found in the  Bibliotheca Britannica. 
(B) It would teach the student to question the accuracy of certain kinds of information sources when studying neglected authors.
(C) It would teach the student to avoid the use of reference sources in studying neglected authors.
(D) It would help the student to understand the importance of first editions in establishing the authorship of plays.
(E) It would enhance the student’s appreciation of the works of authors not included in the canon.

3 
 3. The author of the passage suggests that which of the following is a disadvantage of the strategy employed in the experimental scholarly methods course?

(A) Students were not given an opportunity to study women writers outside the canon.
(B) Students’ original work would not be appreciated by recognized scholars.
(C) Little scholarly work has been done on the work of Elizabeth Griffith.
(D) Most of the students in the course had had little opportunity to study eighteenth-century literature.
(E) Students were not given an opportunity to encounter certain sources of information that could prove useful in their future studies.

4 
 4. Which of the following best states the “particular pedagogical purpose” mentioned in line ( Highlighted )?

(A) To assist scholars in revising the canon of authors
(B) To minimize the trivial aspects of the traditional scholarly methods course
(C) To provide students with information about Griffith’s work
(D) To encourage scholarly rigor in students’ own research
(E) To reestablish Griffith’s reputation as an author

5 
 5. Which of the following best describes the function of the last paragraph in relation to the passage as a whole?

(A) It summarizes the benefits that students can derive from the experimental scholarly methods course.
(B) It provides additional reasons why Griffith’s work raises issues having to do with the canon of authors.
(C) It provides an illustration of the immediate nature of the experiences students can derive from the experimental scholarly methods course.
(D) It contrasts the experience of a student in the experimental scholarly methods course with the experience of a student in the traditional course.
(E) It provides information that emphasizes the suitability of Griffith’s work for inclusion in the canon of authors.

6 
 6. It can be inferred that which of the following is most likely to be among the “issues” mentioned in line ( Highlighted )?

(A) Why has the work of Griffith, a woman writer who was popular in her own century, been excluded from the canon?
(B) In what ways did Griffith’s work reflect the political climate of the eighteenth century?
(C) How was Griffith’s work received by literary critics during the eighteenth century?
(D) How did the error in the title of Griffith’s play come to be made?
(E) How did critical reception of Griffith’s work affect the quantity and quality of that work?

7 
 7. It can be inferred that the author of the passage considers traditional scholarly methods courses to be

(A) irrelevant to the work of most students
(B) inconsequential because of their narrow focus
(C) unconcerned about the accuracy of reference sources
(D) too superficial to establish important facts about authors
(E) too wide-ranging to approximate genuine scholarly activity

RC Butler 2021  -  Practice Two RC Questions Everyday.   
Passage # 161 Date: 23-Apr-2021
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2021 .  Click here for Details

Jammmy · Answer

bm2201  In 1 I marks A and C why A is wrong

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Sajjad1994 · Answer

I find no problem picking up the option C in question #1. Words  "revealing"  and  "proposing"  are key to the answer. After reading the complete passage we can easily conclude that "revealing" is not suitable and didn't match the tempo of the passage instead the word "proposing" is more suitable coherent and concise for the purpose of question.

In the start of second paragraph focus on the words  "To address such concerns"  as these words suggests that author is trying to solving a problem so this is inline with author's attempt to correct a shortcoming.

Thank you!

SejalT · Answer

Please explain 2 , 6 and 7 question

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. It can be inferred that the author of the passage expects that the experience of the student mentioned as having studied Wife in the Right would have which of the following effects?

Difficulty Level:   650-700

Explanation

In the passage, the student studying Griffith's play  "Wife in the Right"  discovered that its title was transformed into  "A Wife in the Night"  in Watt's Bibliotheca Britannica. This experience highlights the discrepancy between the original title and its representation in a reference source, indicating that the student encountered an error or inconsistency. The passage states that such experiences are common when working on a neglected author like Griffith, and they serve to  "vaccinate the student... against credulous use of reference sources."

From this, we can infer that the author expects the student's experience to teach them to question the accuracy of certain kinds of information sources when studying neglected authors. The student's encounter with the title discrepancy encourages a critical approach to reference sources, indicating that they should be used with caution and that not all information found in such sources can be blindly trusted. Therefore, the correct answer is  (B)  It would teach the student to question the accuracy of certain kinds of information sources when studying neglected authors.

Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

6. It can be inferred that which of the following is most likely to be among the “issues” mentioned in line (Highlighted)?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

In the passage, it is mentioned that Elizabeth Griffith, an eighteenth-century writer, was successful in her own time, as indicated by her continued productivity and favorable reviews. However, despite her success, her work has been excluded from the canon and has virtually disappeared from literary history. The passage states that Griffith's exclusion from the canon raises issues concerning the current canon.

Based on this information, it can be inferred that one of the likely  "issues"  mentioned in the passage (line M) is why Griffith's work, despite being popular in her own century, has been excluded from the canon. The passage suggests that the neglect of traditional scholarship and lack of training in historical scholarship and textual editing may have contributed to the exclusion of women writers like Griffith from the canon. Therefore, the correct answer is  (A)  Why has the work of Griffith, a woman writer who was popular in her own century, been excluded from the canon?

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

7. It can be inferred that the author of the passage considers traditional scholarly methods courses to be

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

In the passage, it is mentioned that traditional scholarly methods courses have artificial aspects and typically involve assigning a large number of small problems drawn from the entire range of historical periods. However, the experimental version of the scholarly methods course described in the passage deviated from this conventional approach. Instead of the broad range of small problems, students engaged in a collective effort to do original work on a neglected eighteenth-century writer, Elizabeth Griffith. This approach aimed to give students an authentic experience of literary scholarship and inspire them to take responsibility for the quality of their own work.

Based on this information, it can be inferred that the author of the passage considers traditional scholarly methods courses to be too wide-ranging to approximate genuine scholarly activity. The traditional approach of assigning numerous small problems from different historical periods is seen as artificial and lacking in authenticity. The passage suggests that focusing on a specific writer and allowing students to delve deeply into their work, as in the case of Elizabeth Griffith, provides a more meaningful and genuine scholarly experience.

Therefore, the correct answer is  (E)  too wide-ranging to approximate genuine scholarly activity.

Answer: E

It is possible for students to obtain advanced degrees in English

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It is possible for students to obtain advanced degrees in English

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

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