Hello, Lakshay and others. In the interest of helping the community, I would be happy to offer my thoughts on each question. On a personal note, I went 3/3. Question 1, with the reading of the passage factored in, took 1:46; question 2 took 1:03; and question 3 took 0:54. I record these times to emphasize the point that there should be no strict cutoff per question when you approach RC. I am not ashamed to admit that I have taken up to 4 minutes on a single question before (on a Hard passage)--not even the first question, mind you, so I cannot hide behind the excuse that I was reading the passage. I just wanted to read for accuracy, and my timing across the RC set was still around 2 minutes per question. Again, focus on improving your reading skills and question techniques first; timing can come later.
With that said, I will get right to the matter at hand.
QUESTION 1carcass wrote:
1. The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) contrast the theories of Jean Wagner with those of other contemporary critics
The passage points out that Wagner added a religious interpretation or analysis to the existing secular one in
the study of Afro-American poetry. There is no such contrast of theories presented in the passage. The very fact that the first line acknowledges that Wagner insists that the poetry in question
be analyzed in a religious, as well as secular, frame of reference shows that the two theories are not incompatible, just that the established
secular outlook mentioned at the end of the first paragraph missed the
fusion,
union, or
intertwined nature of the religious and secular in Afro-American poetry, to borrow the language of the passage.
carcass wrote:
(B) document the influence of Jean Wagner on the development of Afro-American poetry
I probably spent the most time assessing this option, although it is a clear case of misdirection. I like the neutral
document here. However, Wagner cannot be said to have
influenced Afro-American poetry; rather, he writes about
influences, both secular and religious, on Afro-American poetry.
carcass wrote:
(C) explain the relevance of Jean Wagner's work to the study of Afro-American religion
According to the passage, the analysis of Wagner is not just relevant to the study of Afro-American poetry, but it has changed an established view of the lens through which such poetry should be interpreted. Furthermore, it is the study of Afro-American
poetry, not religion, in which Wagner has played a seminal role. Yes, Wagner introduced the notion that religion should be considered when studying Afro-American poetry, but this is not the same thing as studying Afro-American religion itself. This is the kind of sleight of hand I would expect of a GMAT™ or GRE® answer choice.
carcass wrote:
(D) indicate the importance of Jean Wagner's analysis of Afro-American poetry
Notice the lack of
red. There is simply nothing to argue against here. The passage does
indicate something. (Notice the toned-down language, a hallmark of correct responses in many
main idea or
primary purpose questions.) The passage also discusses how pivotal, or important, the work of Jean Wagner has been. Finally, the analysis matches up as well. Unlike the Afro-American
religion of the previous answer choice, this one puts
poetry front and center. An unassailable answer is the
correct one.
carcass wrote:
(E) present the contributions of Jean Wagner to the study of Black spirituals
Again, I have no problem with the opening word,
present. But Wagner did not analyze Black spirituals. Instead, the analysis in question pertains to Afro-American poetry. This answer runs in a similar vein to (B), and it can be rejected on similar grounds.
QUESTION 2carcass wrote:
2. All of the following aspects of Afro-American poetry are referred to in the passage as having been influenced by Wesleyan hymnals EXCEPT
This is a detail question, one that has a basis in a single line from the passage. If you need to answer a question that mentions
Wesleyan hymnals, then find Wesleyan hymnals in the passage and stick to that information as closely as possible. (I call this
keyword matching.) The first paragraph contains our line:
The appropriateness of such an approach may seem self-evident for a tradition commencing with spirituals and owing its early forms, rhythms, vocabulary, and evangelical fervor to Wesleyan hymnals.This should be like knocking down ducks in a row (in a carnival game, not in real life). Which elements are mentioned, and which is the odd one out?
carcass wrote:
(A) subject matter
As odd as it may seem, this is the omitted element. Our four parts from the above line are
forms, rhythms, vocabulary, and evangelical fervor. If you are unsure whether
subject matter is the same as maybe
forms, then you could
yellow-light the answer for the time being and see if you can get rid of other, more obviously INCORRECT answer choices.
carcass wrote:
(B) word choice
This sounds an awful lot like
vocabulary to me. Let this one bow out of the running.
carcass wrote:
(C) rhythm
No one should be picking this answer, as
rhythms are explicitly mentioned as the second item in the list above.
carcass wrote:
(D) structure
Structure is synonymous with
form from the excerpt. Although the two are not always linked in this way--you would not talk about an architectural
form in reference to a building, for example--the context makes it clear enough that of the four elements from the line above, this one matches up with
forms. Thus, we need to look elsewhere for our exception.
carcass wrote:
(E) tone
Another answer choice that requires a little vocabulary-flexing. Here,
tone pairs perfectly well with
fervor. The tone of a speech or passage is the manner in which the speaker or author approaches the task at hand, with an eye on the audience and how the words may be perceived. Likewise, the
evangelical fervor mentioned above might make you think of impassioned speakers--maybe televangelists pushing religion, or salespeople getting a rise out of the audience to sell a product or service--and the effect they hope their delivery will have. If you had any doubts about (A) before, now would be the time to go back and pick it.
QUESTION 3carcass wrote:
3. It can be inferred from the passage that, before Wagner, most students of Afro-American poetry did which of the following?
This is almost a reiteration of the main idea. We should understand by the third question that Wagner introduced the notion of analyzing the influence of religion,
as well as secular sources, in the study of Afro-American poetry. Since the question asks specifically about the study of such poetry
before Wagner, we need to find a line that references time in some way, either pre- or post-Wagner. The last line of the first paragraph fits the bill:
But before Wagner a secular outlook that analyzed Black poetry solely within the context of political and social protest was dominant in the field.We have our anchor in the text, so we are ready to find the answer that matches.
carcass wrote:
(A) Contributed appreciably to the transfer of political protest from Afro-American poetry to direct political action.
This sounds important, but the line above does not discuss spearheading political movements based on poetry. It mentions merely that before Wagner, a secular outlook, rather than an integrated outlook, dominated the field.
carcass wrote:
(B) Ignored at least some of the historical roots of Afro-American poetry.
Again, no
red. There is no absolute or definitive language. The padded
at least some works, given that we know from the passage that Wagner is praised for his analysis of both religious and secular influences on Afro-American poetry. What was missing before was the acknowledgment of such religious influences. This is our answer.
carcass wrote:
(C) Analyzed fully the aspects of social protest to be found in such traditional forms of AfroAmerican poetry as the Black spiritual.
A full analysis would have covered the various influences that Wagner had to come along and point out. But beyond this, if you look at the part of the passage that discusses
the Black spiritual, you see that it mentions only
racial issues and racial problems, which is not the same as saying
all aspects of social protest. Keep moving.
carcass wrote:
(D) Regarded as unimportant the development of fervent emotionalism in a portion of AfroAmerican poetry.
It is not that previous students failed to appreciate anything having to do with
emotionalism. The issue is one of religious influence. For this to be the correct answer, you would have to find something in the text to justify it. You cannot simply conjure up something that sounds pertinent. There is just no basis for this claim in the passage. (If you can find a line, you have better eyes than I.)
carcass wrote:
(E) Concentrated on the complex relations between the technical elements in Afro-American poetry and its political content.
Like the previous answer, this one has no grounding in the passage. Previous students overlooked religious influences on Afro-American poetry, plain and simple. All this mumbo-jumbo about complexity and
technical elements is nothing more than important-sounding fluff.
I hope that helps the community. I do not typically respond to RC requests, not because I do not enjoy the questions, but it takes a long time to respond to several of them at once and provide thoughtful analyses.
Anyway, best of luck to you in your studies.
- Andrew
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