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3. In saying that domestic fiction was based on a conception of fiction as part of a “continuum” mentioned in (Highlighted text), the author most likely means which one of the following?

The correct answer choice is (B)


To properly understand the author’s use of the term “continuum” in line 30, it is important to examine the context in which it appears. The information needed to answer Specific Reference questions often resides elsewhere in the passage, in a section that also touches on the issue in the Specific Reference.

In the second paragraph, the author argues that the domestic novel is based on a conception of fiction “as part of a continuum that also included writings devoted to piety and domestic instruction, bound together by a common goal of promoting domestic morality and religious belief” (lines 28-33). In other words, this conception of fiction blurs the lines between several literary genres in order to achieve a particular extraliterary objective. This prephrase agrees with answer choice (B), which is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (A): Domestic fiction may indeed be part of an ongoing tradition; however, the goal of the second paragraph is not to examine such fiction from a historical or a temporal perspective.

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. The domestic novel is indistinguishable from other categories of writing, such as the child-rearing manual or the tract on Christian duty (lines 33-35). As such, it is based on a conception of fiction that does not treat fiction as clearly distinct
from other categories of writing.

Answer choice (C): You should be able to eliminate this answer choice relatively quickly, since the passage contains no evidence suggesting that domestic novels were published in serial form.

Answer choice (D): Although the passage as a whole may indicate that conceptions of fiction are constantly evolving, the term “continuum” refers to a particular conception of fiction, not to its evolving nature.

Answer choice (E): Domestic fiction may have promoted societal morality and religious belief, but the cohesiveness and continuity of society are entirely unrelated to the author’s use of the term “continuum” on line 30. If you found this answer choice attractive, you were probably misled by one of the dictionary definitions of the term “continuum.” Remember—specific reference questions often test your contextual understanding of the term, not your knowledge of its dictionary definition(s).
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2. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to view the “recent criticism” mentioned in (Highlighted text)

The correct answer choice is (C)


This question asks us to identify the author’s perspective in evaluating the criticism of Sarah Orne Jewett mentioned in line 1. The author initially concedes the point that Jewett’s work resembles the domestic novels of the 1850s, but immediately follows that statement by saying that it also differs markedly from these antecedents (line 8). Therefore, we can infer that the author probably views the recent criticism as initially plausible but ultimately mistaken—a prephrase that agrees with answer choice (C).

Answer choice (A): Although the author initially concedes that Jewett’s work resembles the domestic novels of the 1850s, the remainder of the first paragraph functions as a counterargument against that claim. Judging from the argument developed in the second and third paragraphs, the fundamental differences between Jewett and her predecessors outweigh any superficial similarity in subject matter (lines 51-54). To say that the author would view the critics’ position as “essentially correct” is to miss entirely the main point of the passage.

Answer choice (B): We have no reason to suspect that the author would view the critics’ claims as “true.” On the contrary—the author rejects the critics’ attempt to align Jewett with the domestic novelists of the 19th century, arguing that Jewett’s work embodies a new conception of fiction.

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. The claim that Jewett’s work resembles the domestic novels of the 19th century is indeed based on some reasonable evidence, such as the shared focus on women and their concerns. The author concedes that this evidence is initially plausible, but later argues that it supports a mistaken conclusion.
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1. The passage most helps to answer which one of the following questions?

The correct answer choice is (D)

For this question, we need to consider which one of the following five questions can be answered using the information provided in the passage. Often the most efficient approach to this sort of question is to review the choices and quickly eliminate any Losers that cannot be answered using the information in the passage. Then examine the remaining Contenders more closely.

Answer choice (A): Just because the domestic novels focused primarily on women does not mean that women were also the only writers of such novels. Since the passage does not indicate whether any men wrote domestic novels in the 1850s, this is not a question that we can answer using the information given.

Answer choice (B): Even though the high-cultural aesthetic became the dominant conception of fiction later in the nineteenth century (lines 42-43), it is entirely plausible that some widely read domestic novels were still written after the 1860s. Since the author limited the scope of her discussion to the domestic novels of the 1850s, we cannot answer this question using the information provided.

Answer choice (C): This is a classic Shell Game answer. The rural youth’s migration to the cities is cited as a possible explanation of the differences between Jewett’s fiction and the domestic novels of the 1850s (line 23). However, it is unclear how (or whether) such migration affected the development of domestic fiction in the 1850s.

Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. Because of her new conception of literary art as an autonomous sphere with value in and of itself, Jewett created a secular world that was devoid of didactic (or instructive) aims. The first two paragraphs provide sufficient information to help answer this question.
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6. The differing conceptions of fiction held by Jewett and the domestic novelists can most reasonably be taken as providing an answer to which one of the following questions?

The correct answer choice is (C)

For this question, we need to consider which of the following five questions can be answered by the differing conceptions of fiction held by Jewett and the domestic novelists. Recall that the author presents the differing conceptions of fiction as a way of explaining why Jewett’s work does not feature children and religious themes as prominently as the domestic novels do. This is yet another question that tests your ability to understand the cause and effect relationship that underlies the author’s main argument.

Answer choice (A): This answer choice may seem attractive, but we have no reason to suspect that Jewett was unwilling to feature children and religious themes in her works. She understood the nature and purpose of fiction differently from her predecessors, but there is no evidence that she made the conscious choice of not featuring the same topics as the domestic novelists. Our conceptions may guide our actions, but not necessarily in a conscious or deliberate way.

Answer choice (B): Hopefully you were able to eliminate this answer choice quickly, since there is no evidence suggesting that Jewett and the domestic novelists focused primarily on rural as opposed to urban concerns.

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. Since Jewett’s conception of fiction was different from that of her predecessors, she was not constrained by the requirement that fiction be nsion part of a continuum that included writings devoted to piety and domestic instruction. Consequently, she did not need to feature children and religion as prominently in her works as did the domestic novelists.

Answer choice (D): The passage provides no explanation as to why Jewett and the domestic novelists focused predominantly on women and their concerns.

Answer choice (E): This answer choice is similar to answer choice (A). Once again, we have no reason to believe that Jewett was unable to feature children or religion. Just because her conception of fiction was different does not mean that she suddenly lost the ability to feature the same topics as the domestic novelists.
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Quote:
4. Which one of the following most accurately states the primary function of the passage?


The correct answer choice is (E)


Global Reference Purpose questions ask you to describe why the author wrote the passage, and the correct answer is often an abstract version of the main point. Think of it this way— a Main Point question is primarily concerned with a summary of what the author said; a Global Reference Purpose question wants to know why the author said it.

A good prethinking is always important when answering such questions.

Answer choice (A): While the author proposes and defends a redefinition of Jewett’s work, there is no reason to suspect that this redefinition would extend to entire categories of literary style. The author does not seek to redefine domestic fiction or the high-cultural aesthetic of the late 19th century.

Answer choice (B): Jewett may indeed be an example of the high-cultural aesthetic; however, the purpose of the passage is not merely to evaluate a new style of writing and give an example. Recall that the description of the high-cultural aesthetic in the third paragraph serves to support the argument regarding Jewett’s work, not the other way around.

Answer choice (C): This answer choice may seem attractive, since the author does question the assumptions connecting Jewett to the domestic novelists of the 1850s. However, the primary function of the passage is not merely to question these assumptions, but to defend an alternative view that reclassifies Jewett’s work.

Answer choice (D): Even though the author juxtaposes two different conceptions of the nature of fiction, her purpose is not to weigh their merits but rather to argue that a particular writer embodies a certain conception of fiction.

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. The primary purpose of the passage is to reject classifying Jewett’s work as a domestic novel, and defend an alternative view arguing that it belongs to the high-cultural aesthetic of the late 19th and 20th centuries.
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