Thanks to her inclusion in Alexander Pope's mock epic poem "The Duncia

Question

Thanks to her inclusion in Alexander Pope's mock epic poem "The Dunciad" as a vacuous figure willing to write (and perhaps do) anything for financial recompense, Eliza Haywood was long regarded as of marginal importance in the literary history of the "long"18th century. Many of her best-known novels have been described as "amatory fiction", a genre not considered central to the British novel tradition. Thus, until recently, even her supporters had little to say for her style, often emphasizing the historical importance of her journalism.

A closer examination of Haywood's novels indicates that disregarding her fiction in such a manner would be a mistake. Even if works such as the early "Love in Excess" and the late "The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless" did not influence 19th-century novelists to the extent that more famous novels such as Richardson's "Pamela" and Fielding's "Tom Jones" did, they reveal a prose writer presenting both structural innovations and a surprisingly forward-looking view of society. Her shifting attitudes regarding class, courtship, and marriage are reflected in a noticeable change from her early novels to her more mature works, suggesting that she ought to be considered as more than a simple polemicist.

In fact, as Paula Backscheider has shown, Haywood's substantial corpus had more of an impact on the British novel tradition than was previously suspected. Haywood's "Anti-Pamela", a satire of Richardson's didactic novel, was as widely read as Fielding's parody of the same, and "Betsy Thoughtless" can be seen as the beginning of a tradition of novels of marriage, which culminated in Bronte's " Jane Eyre ". Most importantly, the 18th-century novel was largely concerned with domestic issues hinging on the role of women, and Haywood's dozens of works are among the best representations we have of a female perspective on such topics.  
 1 
 1. The author's main point is that

(A) next to parodies such as "The Dunciad" and "Anti-Pamela", novels of marriage were much more crucial to the development of the novel. 
(B) it is a mistake to treat Haywood's polemical journalism as more than a historical curiosity. 
(C) Haywood's novels are valuable in more ways than were thought by previous generations of scholars. 
(D) 18th-century novels by women such as Haywood deserve more attention that novels by men, such as Richardson and Fielding, on women's topics. 
(E) "amatory fiction" influenced many important novelists writing in the 19th century.

2 
 2. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) offer sociohistorical explanations for the prevalence of female novelists in the 18th century 
(B) examine how one novelist has been viewed by scholars throughout history 
(C) show why an underrated novelist should be taken more seriously 
(D) propose a new ranking of prose writers in the 18th century to reflect more modern literary preferences 
(E) outline specific distinctions between well-known novelists that have long been considered equals

3 
 3. According to the passage, which of the following was a primary issue in the 18th-century novel?

(A) The function of women in society
(B) Class distinctions in industrialized London
(C) Feminist perspectives of journalism
(D) Satirical treatments of other prose works
(E) The importance of financial gain

4 
 4. According to the passage, which of the following works influenced “Jane Eyre?” ( Highlighted )

(A) Love in Excess
(B) Tom Jones
(C) The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless
(D) The Dunciad
(E) Anti-Pamela

5 
 5. The author of the passage states that Haywood had which of the following in common with Fielding?

(A) Her novels are often read for their structural innovations.
(B) She penned a parody of Richardson’s “Pamela.”
(C) She was a target of Pope’s in “The Dunciad.”
(D) Her novels were preoccupied with domestic issues.
(E) Her most popular works were as well-known as “Pamela.”

6 
 6. Which of the following best describes the function of the third paragraph of the passage?

(A) It attempts to reconcile con‡icting views presented in the previous paragraphs.
(B) It presents examples intended to undermine the argument presented in the second paragraph.
(C) It provides evidence that supports the position taken in the first sentence of the second paragraph.
(D) It describes the importance of the works mentioned in the second paragraph.
(E) It suggests that the claims reported in the first paragraph are still valid.

7 
 7. Which of the following best describes the relationship of the second paragraph to the first paragraph?

(A) It presents contrasting explanations for a phenomenon presented in the first paragraph.
(B) It discusses an exception to a general principle outlined in the first paragraph.
(C) It provides an argument to counter the position described in the first paragraph.
(D) It presents an example that strengthens a claim presented in the first paragraph.
(E) It presents an alternative approach to understanding the historical trends discussed in the first paragraph.

8 
 8. Which of the following best describes the organization of the first paragraph of the passage?

(A) A viewpoint is introduced, and its historical evolution is outlined.
(B) Opposing viewpoints are discussed, and evidence is provided that supports one of the viewpoints.
(C) A hypothesis is described and then refuted.
(D) An alternative viewpoint is presented, and evidence is provided to question it.
(E) An outline is presented, and then the main point of the outline is shown to be false.

RC Butler 2022  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 43 Date: 28-Jan-2022
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2022 .  Click here for Details

harhtm0987134 · Answer

Please explain 1st answer

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The author's main point is that

Difficulty Level:   Easy

Explanation

The scope of the passage is the importance of her novels; the first paragraph describes how previous generations ignored her, and the following two focus on the impact of her work on future authors and its value to scholars.

Choice (A)  is wrong, as it doesn’t even mention Haywood, the topic of the passage.

(B)  is probably something the author would agree with, but the passage is more about Haywood’s novels.

(C)  is correct: it encapsulates the topics of all three paragraphs.

(D)  is a comparison that the author doesn’t address.

(E) , like  (A) , doesn’t mention Haywood, and is much too specific.

Choice (C) is correct.

martinfzb · Answer

As to question 1, The author's main point is that
(C) Haywood's novels  are valuable in more ways  than were thought by previous generations of scholars.
 the solution can be found in both paragraph 2 and 3

In the last sentence of paragraph 2 ... she ought to be considered as  more than a simple polemicist .
in the first sentence of paragraph 3, ...Haywood's substantial corpus had  more of an impact on the British novel tradition  than was previously suspected

pratiksha1998 · Answer

Would like to understand the 8th Question. I choose E as the answer.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

8. Which of the following best describes the organization of the first paragraph of the passage?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

The  first paragraph  describes why Haywood had not been viewed as important, and the last sentence suggests how her supporters had slightly begun to see value in her work. There is only one main perspective in the paragraph: that her works, especially her novels, were not very important.

Choice (A)  reflects that: the viewpoint is the position that her novels could be disregarded and that historical evolution represents the last sentence.

The other four choices all describe much more than is contained in one paragraph. Because there is only one main position in the paragraph, there is no room for  “opposing viewpoints,"  something  “described and refuted,” "evidence provided to question”  anything, or something  “shown to be false.” Choice (A)  is correct.

Answer: A

Vartika2525 · Answer

can someone please explain question 5&7?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. The author of the passage states that Haywood had which of the following in common with Fielding?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

In the given passage, it is mentioned that Haywood's "Anti-Pamela" was a satire of Richardson's didactic novel "Pamela". Similarly, Fielding also penned a parody of Richardson's  "Pamela"  in his famous novel  "Tom Jones" . This similarity between the two authors' works makes  option (B)  the correct answer.

Let's briefly review the other options to understand why they are not the correct choices:

(A) Her novels are often read for their structural innovations. 
This statement is true for Haywood's novels according to the passage, but there is no mention of Fielding's novels being read for their structural innovations. So, this is not a commonality between the two authors.

(C) She was a target of Pope’s in “The Dunciad.” 
The passage mentions that Eliza Haywood was included in Alexander Pope's "The Dunciad" as a vacuous figure, but there is no mention of Fielding being targeted by Pope in the same way.

(D) Her novels were preoccupied with domestic issues. 
The passage mentions that the 18th-century novel, including Haywood's works, was largely concerned with domestic issues and the role of women. It does not, however, explicitly state that Fielding's novels were preoccupied with domestic issues.

(E) Her most popular works were as well-known as “Pamela.” 
The passage does not compare the popularity of Haywood's most popular works to that of "Pamela". It does mention that "Anti-Pamela" was widely read, but it doesn't draw a direct comparison to the popularity of "Pamela". Hence, there is not enough information to support this option as a commonality between Haywood and Fielding.

Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

7. Which of the following best describes the relationship of the second paragraph to the first paragraph?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

The second paragraph presents the author’s view (Haywood’s novels shouldn’t be disregarded) and evidence to support it, while the …rst describes the way previous generations of scholars considered her work.

Choice (A)  is wrong: the second paragraph doesn’t try to explain the reasons behind the earlier disregard for Haywood’s novels.

(B)  understates what the author is doing; the argument is much more than an exception to the principle of disregarding Haywood’s novels.

(C) is correct:   the second paragraph argues against the old view of Haywood’s work.

Choice (D)  suggests that the two paragraphs support the same position, which is not true.

(E) , again, does not reflect the fact that the two paragraphs describe almost precisely opposite viewpoints.

Choice (C) is correct.

priyanshii26 · Answer

Can Someone Please Let me know the level of each question ?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Here is my rough Idea.

Question #1: 500
Question #2: 650-700
Question #3: 600
Question #4: 550
Question #5: 700
Question #6: 650
Question #7: 700
Question #8: 650-700

Overall: 650

Prob2303 · Answer

Hi Sajjad,

Can I get the OE for Q3, Q4 and Q6?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. According to the passage, which of the following was a primary issue in the 18th-century novel?

Explanation

The relevant sentence is the last one:  “Most importantly, the 18th-century novel was largely concerned with domestic issues hinging on the role of women. . . ”  This matches up very closely to  choice (A) , which is correct.

(B)  isn’t mentioned in the passage;  (C)  is something in Haywood’s biography, not the novel;  (D)  is part of the novel tradition, but not the primary issue, and  (E)  is another tidbit from Haywood’s biography, this time the target of Pope’s  “Dunciad.”

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

4. According to the passage, which of the following works influenced “Jane Eyre?” (Highlighted)

Explanation

The relevant sentence is:  “. . . ’Betsy Thoughtless’can be seen as the beginning of a tradition of novels of marriage, which culminated in Bronte’s “Jane Eyre.”   Choice (C)  is correct.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

6. Which of the following best describes the function of the third paragraph of the passage?

The third paragraph consists mostly of examples of Haywood’s in‡uence. It could, then, be considered evidence for the claims presented earlier in the passage.

Choice (A)  is incorrect, as there is no attempt to reconcile the author’s positive view of Haywood with the earlier, less favorable ones.

(B)  is also incorrect: the third paragraph and second paragraph both support the idea of Haywood as influential.

(C)  is correct: the first sentence of the second paragraph is the main point of the whole passage, and the third paragraph provides examples that support the pro-Haywood view.

Choice (D)  is close, but the third paragraph also discusses another work (“Anti-Pamela”) and it doesn’t mention  “Love in Excess.”

(E)  is wrong, as the first paragraph represents the view the Haywood is not important.  Choice (C)  is correct.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. The primary purpose of the passage is to

Explanation 
 
The author is supporting the position that Haywood’s novels are important, despite the earlier beliefs that they were not.  Choice (C)  accurately represents that, both including the notion that Haywood was not considered important (“underrated”) and the idea that her works are of serious importance. The verb,  “show,”  is also representative, as the passage provides many examples as evidence to support the position.  Choice (B)  may be tempting, but  “examine”  is not as accurate as  “show,”  since the author is clearly taking a side in this debate.

Answer: C

Thanks to her inclusion in Alexander Pope's mock epic poem "The Duncia

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Thanks to her inclusion in Alexander Pope's mock epic poem "The Duncia

Prep Toolkit

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

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From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

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