Pope‘s life as a writer falls into three periods, answering fairly eno

Question

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Passage # 96, Date: 18-May-2020
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Pope‘s life as a writer falls into three periods, answering fairly enough to the three reigns in which he worked. Under Queen Anne he was an original poet but made little money by his verses. Under George I he was chiefly a translator, and made much money by satisfying the French classical taste with versions of the ―Iliad‖ and ―Odyssey.‖ Under George I he also edited Shakespeare, but with little profit to himself for Shakespeare was but a Philistine in the eyes of the French-classical critics. But as the eighteenth century grew slowly to its work, signs of a deepening interest in the real issues of life distracted men‘s attention from the culture of the snuff-box and the fan. As Pope‘s genius ripened, the best part of the world in which he worked was pressing forward, as a mariner who will no longer hug the coast but crowds all sail to cross the storms of a wide unknown sea. Pope‘s poetry thus deepened with the course of time, and the third period of his life, which fell within the reign of George II, was that in which he produced the ―Essay on Man,‖ the ―Moral Essays,‖ and the ―Satires.‖ These deal wholly with aspects of human life and the great questions they raise, according throughout with the doctrine of the poet, and of the reasoning world about him in his latter day, that ―the proper study of mankind is Man.‖   1  
 C 
 Q1) According to the information in the passage, which of the following can be inferred with reference to the first two periods of Pope‘s writings?

A. The public in general appreciated Pope‘s original works
B. Pope finally made money by copying other people‘s works
C. The critics did not think too highly of Shakespeare
D. Pope made money by translating Shakespeare‘s works
E. Pope decided to stop writing original poetry and began translating other people‘s works in order to make money

2  
 C 
 Q2) From the information in the passage, each of the following can be inferred about Pope EXCEPT:

A. He lived through several reigns
B. His most famous works primarily deal with different aspects of human life
C. He made the most money under the reign of George 1
D. The public was impressed with his original woks
E. In the initial periods of his life, he made more money translating other people‘s works than writing original poetry

3  
 E 
 Q3) In context of the passage, what do these lines imply "as a mariner who will no longer hug the coast but crowds all sail to cross the storms of a wide unknown sea"?

A. Pope stopped translating other people‘s works and began creating original works
B. The public started taking more interest in the real issues of life
C. Pope started writing about the various aspects of human life
D. Pope worked as a sailor on a ship which changed his outlook of the world and was responsible for his subsequent writings
E. Pope decided to venture away from the tried and tested style of writing and attempt new writing styles and subjects

Gmatsaiyan · Answer

Topic & scope/Passage map 
The passage discusses the three periods of Pope‘s life and how the nature of his work and the money he made from the same varied among the same

Official Answers and Explanations 
 Q1) According to the information in the passage, which of the following can be inferred with reference to the first two periods of Pope‘s writings?
A. The public in general appreciated Pope‘s original works
B. Pope finally made money by copying other people‘s works
C. The critics did not think too highly of Shakespeare
D. Pope made money by translating Shakespeare‘s works
E. Pope decided to stop writing original poetry and began translating other people‘s works in order to make money
The passage clearly states that Pope did not make much money by editing Shakespeare‘s works because the critics considered him, i.e. Shakespeare, a Philistine. Even if you do not know the meaning of ‗Philistine‘, you can easily infer that this cannot be a positive word. Hence the best answer is (C)
A – Opposite. Pope made little money when he wrote original poetry
B – Distortion. ‗Translating‘ is not the same as ‗copying‘
D – The passage actually states the opposite
E – Out of scope. The passage never clarifies why Pope made this decision

Q2) From the information in the passage, each of the following can be inferred about Pope EXCEPT:
A. He lived through several reigns
B. His most famous works primarily deal with different aspects of human life
C. He made the most money under the reign of George 1
D. The public was impressed with his original woks
E. In the initial periods of his life, he made more money translating other people‘s works than writing original poetry
The passage only states that Pope made more money under George 1 than he did under Queen Anne. This does not mean that he did not go on to make even more money in the 3rd phase of his life. Hence (C) cannot be inferred and is the correct answer.
A – This is definitely true from the passage
B – The last part of the passage states thisD – This is a trap answer. Just because the public was not impressed with his works under Queen Anne (and the passage never states this) does not mean that in general the public was not impressed with his original works. The latter part of the passage describes several such works with which the public was very impressed
E – This can be inferred from the passage

Q3) In context of the passage, what do these lines imply - ‘as a mariner who will no
longer hug the coast but crowds all sail to cross the storms of a wide unknown sea’?
A. Pope stopped translating other people‘s works and began creating original works
B. The public started taking more interest in the real issues of life
C. Pope started writing about the various aspects of human life
D. Pope worked as a sailor on a ship which changed his outlook of the world and was responsible for his subsequent writings
E. Pope decided to venture away from the tried and tested style of writing and attempt new writing styles and subjects
The quoted lines provide an analogy to Pope‘s actions at that time. To hug the coast means to stick to the safe zone and not take risks so this mariner is not sticking to the safe zone but rather he is crowding his sails and taking the unknown sea head on. 
(E) follows best as the answer.
A – This is true but has no connection with the meaning of the quoted lines
B – Same as A
C – Same as A
D – Out of Scope. The passage mentions no such thing.

globaldesi · Answer

For Question 2
How is C the correct answer

Q2) From the information in the passage, each of the following can be inferred about Pope EXCEPT:
A. He lived through several reigns
B. His most famous works primarily deal with different aspects of human life
C. He made the most money under the reign of George 1
D. The public was impressed with his original woks
E. In the initial periods of his life, he made more money translating other people‘s works than writing original poetry

C. He made the most money under the reign of George 1 ?? no proof
For 
E. In the initial periods of his life, he made more money translating other people‘s works than writing original poetry
This statement

Under George I he was chiefly a translator, and made much money by satisfying the French-classical taste with versions of the ―Iliad‖ and ―Odyssey.‖

arora1 · Answer

For question 1, 
Q1) According to the information in the passage, which of the following can be inferred
with reference to the first two periods of Pope‘s writings?
A. The public in general appreciated Pope‘s original works
B. Pope finally made money by copying other people‘s works
C. The critics did not think too highly of Shakespeare
D. Pope made money by translating Shakespeare‘s works
E. Pope decided to stop writing original poetry and began translating other people‘s works in order to make money

how can the OA be C? In the passage we only know about French critics, not critics generally. I feel option B is better since it is stated " much money ", " versions of the ―Iliad‖ and ―Odyssey. "

varun325 · Answer

Q2) From the information in the passage, each of the following can be inferred about Pope EXCEPT:

A. He lived through several reigns. Pope lived in three reigns.
B. His most famous works primarily deal with different aspects of human life. Pope’s genius ripened ….. produced essays on human life. As his popularity was increasing, in the best part of his life, he created something original.
 C. He made the most money under the reign of George 1. ( correct) This cannot be inferred from the passage. He made much money translating under George -1 but it doesn’t mean that it was most (notice extreme usage)  
D. The public was impressed with his original woks. As his genius ripened…..
E. In the initial periods of his life, he made more money translating other people‘s works than writing original poetry. He made much translating Iliad and Odyssey.

Q3) In context of the passage, what do these lines imply "as a mariner who will no longer hug the coast but crowds all sail to cross the storms of a wide unknown sea"?
 What I can infer “ Stopped safe play and started taking risk’s “
A. Pope stopped translating other people‘s works and began creating original works. This is close
B. The public started taking more interest in the real issues of life. Incorrect
C. Pope started writing about the various aspects of human life Incorrect
D. Pope worked as a sailor on a ship which changed his outlook of the world and was responsible for his subsequent writings. Illogical
 E. Pope decided to venture away from the tried and tested style of writing and attempt new writing styles and subjects ( correct) seems as per the prethinking.

varun325 · Answer

In Q1) According to the information in the passage, which of the following can be inferred with reference to the first two periods of Pope‘s writings?

A. The public in general appreciated Pope‘s original works
B. Pope finally made money by copying other people‘s works
C. The critics did not think too highly of Shakespeare
 D. Pope made money by translating Shakespeare‘s works ( Pope made little money translating Shakespeare's work. Doesn't little money means made money though little) 
E. Pope decided to stop writing original poetry and began translating other people‘s works in order to make money

prakhar992 · Answer

GmatWizard   SajjadAhmad  please explain question number 1 and 3.

KeyurJoshi · Answer

How can we infer E) instead of A) in Q3, we don't know anything about the writing styles right?

Adi88 · Answer

I am not an expert, but let me try to explain this,

Paragraph we need to refer is :
 But   as the eighteenth century grew slowly to its work,   signs of a deepening interest in the real issues of life distracted men‘s attention from the culture   of the snuff-box and the fan.    As Pope‘s genius ripened ,   the best part of the world in which he worked was pressing forward,    as a mariner who will no longer hug the coast but crowds all sail to cross the storms of a wide unknown sea  .  Pope‘s poetry thus deepened with the course of time ,  and the third period of his life

From the above excerpt, what we get to know is that  in 18th century, people, at large, became more interested to the real issues, usual challenges or troubles of day-to-day phenomenon in human lives. Further, Pope became mature in terms of his understanding of life and what he wants to pursue as an writer.  Thus he left his comfort areas, the genre of poetry, and started writing about the daily issues of mundane life, those the general public were enquiring about, to help people sail through the tribulations of everyday lives.  (the simple paraphrasing of " .. as a mariner... a wide unknown sea")

With this understanding let me answer the question,
Q3) In context of the passage, what do these lines imply  "as a mariner who will no longer hug the coast but crowds all sail to cross the storms of a wide unknown sea" ?

A. Pope stopped translating other people‘s works and began creating original works.. obviously Wrong..
B. The public started taking more interest in the real issues of life.. obviously Wrong.. 
C. Pope started writing about the various aspects of human life..  This options encapsulated the partial answer and doesn't justify the complete meaning of the above highlighted clause 
 D. Pope worked as a sailor on a ship which changed his outlook of the world and was responsible for his subsequent writings.. obviously wrong.. 
 E. Pope decided to venture away from the tried and tested style of writing and attempt new writing styles and subjects. 
 This conveys the full meaning. As a mariner who will no longer hug the coast (in other words "As a writer he will no longer hug the most loved genre to him.i.e. Poetry") but crowds all sail to cross the storms of a wide unknown sea (But gathers all his courage or writing ability or talent to cross the tribulations of daily lives)

Hope I could explain it.

Dankeschon.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

Q1) According to the information in the passage, which of the following can be inferred with reference to the first two periods of Pope‘s writings?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

The passage clearly states that Pope did not make much money by editing Shakespeare‘s works because the critics considered him, i.e. Shakespeare, a Philistine. Even if you do not know the meaning of  "Philistine" , you can easily infer that this cannot be a positive word. Hence the best answer is  (C)

A  – Opposite. Pope made little money when he wrote original poetry

B  – Distortion. "Translating" is not the same as "copying"

D  – The passage actually states the opposite

E  – Out of scope. The passage never clarifies why Pope made this decision

Answer: C

3. In context of the passage, what do these lines imply "as a mariner who will no longer hug the coast but crowds all sail to cross the storms of a wide unknown sea"?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

The quoted lines provide an analogy to Pope‘s actions at that time. To hug the coast means to stick to the safe zone and not take risks so this mariner is not sticking to the safe zone but rather he is crowding his sails and taking the unknown sea head on.  (E)  follows best as the answer.

A  – This is true but has no connection with the meaning of the quoted lines

B  – Same as A

C  – Same as A

D  – Out of Scope. The passage mentions no such thing.

Answer: E

rishit924 · Answer

Basically I am a little weak with RC especially passage related to Humanities.

Took 5.45 Mins 3/3 correct.
What is the ideal time to finish the passage?

Thanks in advance.

Ronnie265 · Answer

I instantly eliminated option B ,  we don't know whether he was making money or not by making his original work.  
According to option B he started making money when he chose to copy other people's work.
so it is wrong.
..
Option c is not good for me either, but i think it is better than other options.
..
Hope it helps!!

Harsh9676 · Answer

Hi

I am able to narrow down to C and D in Question 2. I picked C on the grounds of extreme wording but to be frank I did not find any solid grounds from the passage to eliminate Answer choice D.

Can someone please explain?

Thanks
Harsh

bM22 · Answer

Hi  Harsh9676 ,

With respect to Question 2:

We cannot infer option C from the passage. Though its mentioned: "Under George I he was chiefly a translator, and made much money by satisfying the French classical taste with versions of the ―Iliad‖ and ―Odyssey.", we cannot say for sure, if the Pope made most money under the reign of George 1.

Regarding Option D, we can infer it from the lines: "But as the eighteenth century grew slowly to its work, signs of a deepening interest in the real issues of life distracted men‘s attention from the culture of the snuff-box and the fan. As Pope‘s genius ripened, the best part of the world in which he worked was pressing forward,", thus helping us eliminating it.

Hope this Helps.
Thanks.

Foreheadson · Answer

Can you please indicate where is the proof of D?

mkeshri185 · Answer

Why the answer to Question 1 is not D? In option C it is said 'CRITICS' which means critics in general but passage only talks about French critics opinion. On the other hand in option D it says 'pope MADE MONEY....' This is 100% true as it is mention 'Pope profited little' little profit means atleast he made some profit so it must be the answer.

egmat · Answer

mkeshri185 ,

I understand your confusion about options C and D. Let me help clarify why D is incorrect and C is the right answer.

The Critical Reading Error in Option D
 
You've made an understandable but important misreading of the passage. Let's look at exactly what the passage says about Shakespeare:
 
Notice two crucial words here:
 
  "edited"  - not "translated" 
  "little profit"  - minimal money

Option D states: "Pope made money by  translating  Shakespeare's works"

This is factually incorrect because:
 
 Pope  edited  Shakespeare, he didn't  translate  him 
 Even if we ignore the edit/translate distinction, "little profit" ≠ "made money" in GMAT terms  
 
What Pope Actually Made Money From

The passage clearly states:
 
Pope made money translating Homer's works (Iliad and Odyssey), NOT Shakespeare!
 
Why Option C is Correct

You're concerned that C says "critics" while the passage says "French-classical critics." However, in GMAT RC:
 
 When the passage mentions only one group of critics (French-classical critics) 
 And the answer choice refers to "the critics" 
 We understand this refers to the critics mentioned in the passage

The passage directly states:  "Shakespeare was but a Philistine in the eyes of the French-classical critics"

This directly supports option C.
 
Key GMAT RC Strategy

When evaluating answer choices:
 
  Precision matters : "edited" ≠ "translated" 
  Degree matters : "little profit" ≠ "made money" (in GMAT's view) 
  Context matters : "the critics" refers to the critics discussed in the passage

Your attention to detail is good, but make sure you're reading what's actually written rather than what seems similar!

Pope‘s life as a writer falls into three periods, answering fairly eno

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Pope‘s life as a writer falls into three periods, answering fairly eno

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