Literature is at once the most intimate and the most articulate of the

Question

Literature is at once the most intimate and the most articulate of the arts. It cannot impart its effect through the senses or the nerves as the other arts can; it is beautiful only through the intelligence; it is the mind speaking to the mind; until it has been put into absolute terms, of an invariable significance, it does not exist at all. It cannot awaken this emotion in one, and that in another; if it fails to express precisely the meaning of the author, if it does not say him, it says nothing, and is nothing. So that when a poet has put his heart, much or little, into a poem, and sold it to a magazine, the scandal is greater than when a painter has sold a picture to a patron, or a sculptor has modeled a statue to order. These are artists less articulate and less intimate than the poet; they are more exterior to their work; they are less personally in it; they part with less of themselves in the dicker. It does not change the nature of the case to say that Tennyson and Longfellow and Emerson sold the poems in which they couched the most mystical messages their genius was charged to bear mankind. They submitted to the conditions which none can escape; but that does not justify the conditions, which are nonetheless the conditions of hucksters because they are imposed upon poets. If it will serve to make my meaning a little clearer, we will suppose that a poet has been crossed in love, or has suffered some real sorrow, like the loss of a wife or child. He pours out his broken heart in verse that shall bring tears of sacred sympathy from his readers, and an editor pays him a hundred dollars for the right of bringing his verse to their notice. It is perfectly true that the poem was not written for these dollars, but it is perfectly true that it was sold for them.    1 
 1. The author implies that writers are

(A) incompetent in business.
(B) not sufficiently paid for their work.
(C) greedy.
(D) hucksters.
(E) profiting against their will.

2 
 2. A possible title that best expresses the meaning of the passage would be

(A) “The Man of Letters as a Man of Business”
(B) “Literature and the Arts”
(C) “Progress in Literature”
(D) “Poets and Writers”
(E) “The State of the Arts”

3 
 3. By accepting payment for works of literature or art, its creators are

I. writing and painting solely for monetary gain.
II. justifying the practice of art.
III. exchanging their work for remuneration.

(A) I only
(B) III only
(C) I and II only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III

4 
 4. The author of the passage proposes that writers and artists

(A) make the best out of a bad situation.
(B) attempt to induce society to change its values.
(C) withhold their work until they gain recognition.
(D) adopt the principles of commercialism.
(E) adopt the value system of society.

RC Butler 2022  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 94 Date: 04-Mar-2022
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2022 .  Click here for Details

apurvsibalharvard · Answer

1 E (E) profiting against their will.
2 A (A) “The Man of Letters as a Man of Business”
3 B (B) III only
4 A (A) make the best out of a bad situation.

cyrwr1 · Answer

If you can provide the explanation to #2 and #4, thank you.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. A possible title that best expresses the meaning of the passage would be

Difficulty Level:   Hard

Explanation

The passage treats the problem of poets or writers who must  “sell”  their works to survive; therefore they act like businesspeople.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

4. The author of the passage proposes that writers and artists

Difficulty Level:   Hard

Explanation

The author proposes that until society changes its value system (which he does not foresee) the artist and writer must compromise as best they can with the existing system without, however, debasing their work.

Answer: A

HarshitBansal2000 · Answer

Can you provide me the explanation of Q1, why E?

Posted from my mobile device

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The author implies that writers are

Difficulty Level:   650

Explanation

This expression is found throughout the passage,  “. . . when a poet has put his heart . . . into a poem, and sold it to a magazine, the scandal is greater. . . .”

Answer: E

siddharth_ · Answer

While reading this one, I could not make sense of what was really going on in the passage - Is the author sympathetic towards the poets or condemning them for selling their work? Is he taking a stance against the poets / artists in general? Is he against poets selling their work, while supports painters doing that?
I could understand that there's a slight tone of sympathy, but couldn't come up with the main idea. As a result, answered 2 questions incorrectly. 
Can someone kindly help me understand this passage in particular and also, how to approach such passages in general while reading them for the 1st time? Or if there's some other way (specific to gmat) to answer the questions of such passages even if one is not entirely clear about the main idea?

miag · Answer

Hi Sajjad1994 , could you explain how this sentence points to Option E? not very clear to me, thank you!

Literature is at once the most intimate and the most articulate of the

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Literature is at once the most intimate and the most articulate of the

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

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Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

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