The city of Avignon in southeastern France claims a unique place in Eu

Question

The city of Avignon in southeastern France claims a unique place in European history, as it was home to  le Palais des Papes  (the Palace of the Popes), which served as the center of the Avignon Papacy in the fourteenth century. As a result of a conflict between his predecessor, Pope Boniface VIII, and King Philip IV of France, Pope Clement V (a Frenchman himself) did not relocate to Rome upon his election but rather stayed in France, finally settling upon Avignon as his papal residency in 1309. As the first significant departure of the papacy from Rome, this move began a controversial chapter in the history of the Catholic Church, highlighting the power of the French throne over the pope and culminating in the Papal Schism. During the schism, two men simultaneously claimed the papacy—Urban VI, who was elected in Rome in 1378, and Clement VII, who reestablished the Avignon papacy in the same year—with each nation having to choose which pope to recognize as legitimate. This schism, which lasted until 1417,  represented the increasing influence of secular politics on the hierarchy of the Church  and, in many ways, foreshadowed the discontent that led to Luther’s Reformation one hundred years later.    1 
 1. What is the primary purpose of this passage?

A. To summarize the origins of the Avignon papacy
B. To describe the significance of the Avignon papacy
C. To defend the influence of Philip IV over the papacy
D. To debate the effects of the Papal Schism
E. To recount the medieval history of Avignon

2 
 2. Which of the following statements is NOT supported by the passage?

A. Avignon played a significant role in fourteenth-century ecclesiastical politics.
B. As a Frenchman, Clement V was likely influenced by Philip IV.
C. The Papal Schism was seen to be a sign of increasing politicization of the church hierarchy.
D. The Papal Schism directly motivated Martin Luther to begin his Reformation.
E. The Papal Schism affected national loyalties to the papacy.

3 
 3. The highlighted portion serves to emphasize which of the following?

A. The impact of the Avignon papacy
B. The politicization of the Church leading up to the Reformation
C. Martin Luther’s grievances that caused the Reformation
D. Philip IV’s influence over the papacy
E. The results of the Papal Schism

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 278 Date: 14 Aug-2023
 This question is part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

Ruchi007 · Answer

Sajjad1994  Explanation for #3?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. The highlighted portion serves to emphasize which of the following?

Explanation

To answer this Logic question effectively, we must go back to the passage and reread the highlighted portion in its full context. We make a prediction by describing how the portion fits into the overall passage. The highlighted text focuses on how the schism was symptomatic of political influence on the Church’s leaders.

Choices (A)  and  (E)  both may seem like reasonable answers, but both are too broad in scope to be the focus of this particular text. Let’s be careful with the wording of  choice (C) , as the text is not an example of how or why Luther caused the Reformation. Although  choice (D)  is an example of secular influence on the papacy, the choice itself is too narrow in scope.

Answer  choice (B)  is the correct answer, differentiated from  choice (C)  by its wording—the influence of secular politics, as the passage notes, was a  “foreshadowing”  of the discontent that led to the Reformation.

Answer: B

SKDEV · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994 
Can I have explanation for Q1 and Q2?
for 1st I selected A since author has written lengths about how it came to existance etc.

thakur91 · Answer

KarishmaB  Could you please help with Question 3?

JoeKan1234 · Answer

1. What is the primary purpose of this passage?

A. To summarize the origins of the Avignon papacy
B. To describe the significance of the Avignon papacy
C. To defend the influence of Philip IV over the papacy
D. To debate the effects of the Papal Schism
E. To recount the medieval history of Avignon

C and D are out immediately as the author does not defend or debate anything. A is also incorrect. Although the origin is indeed mentioned, it is not the focus. The passage covers more about the significance of the Avignon papacy. E is incorrect as the passages does not focus on the history but something big.

rebrahimi12 · Answer

Everything in the text needs to relate to the answer. The origin of the papacy is just the first half of the text, and if only the first half of the ext was included, it might be the correct answer.

From "As the first significant departure of the papacy from Rome..." onwards it describes some of the outcome, ramifications, and events that unfoled afterwords. Thus Answer C better encompasses both halves of the text.

Chadwik · Answer

Q1

A. To summarize the origins of the Avignon papacy 
 
 ❌ Too  narrow . 
 The passage covers  more than just the origins  — it talks about the  schism , the  political influence , and  long-term effects .  
 
 B. ✅ To describe the significance of the Avignon papacy 
 
 ✔️  Correct.  
 The passage  explains what happened , but more importantly, it emphasizes  why it mattered :
 
 Secular influence 
 Church division 
 Roots of the Reformation

C. To defend the influence of Philip IV over the papacy 
 
 ❌ No defense is offered — the passage is  neutral , not supportive of Philip IV.  
 
 D. To debate the effects of the Papal Schism 
 
 ❌ There’s no  debate  here — only explanation. 
 The schism is mentioned, but  not discussed from multiple viewpoints .  
 
 E. To recount the medieval history of Avignon 
 
 ❌ Too  broad  and vague. 
 The passage isn’t about Avignon’s full history — just its role during the papacy.

Q2 
 A. Avignon played a significant role in fourteenth-century ecclesiastical politics. 
 
 ✅  Supported.  
 The passage opens by saying Avignon “claims a unique place in European history” and details its role as  papal headquarters  and part of the  Papal Schism .  
 
 B. As a Frenchman, Clement V was likely influenced by Philip IV. 
 
 ✅  Implied.  
 The passage says Clement was French and stayed in France after being elected, partly because of the  conflict between Philip IV and Boniface VIII , which  suggests political pressure . So this is supported.  
 
 C. The Papal Schism was seen to be a sign of increasing politicization of the church hierarchy. 
 
 ✅  Directly stated.  
 The passage says:

D. The Papal Schism directly motivated Martin Luther to begin his Reformation. 
 
 ❌  NOT supported.  ← This is our answer. 
 The passage says:

So it was a  contributing background factor , not a  direct motivation .  
 
 E. The Papal Schism affected national loyalties to the papacy. 
 
 ✅  Supported.  
 The passage says:

The city of Avignon in southeastern France claims a unique place in Eu

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

The city of Avignon in southeastern France claims a unique place in Eu

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