The path a historical novelist has to tread is clearly beset by danger

Question

Passage A

The path a historical novelist has to tread is clearly
beset by dangers. One cannot have medieval characters
using correct period language because no one would
find the speech readable. Similarly, in depicting
  (5)   the lives of real individuals, authors must invent
dialogue, as well as other details missing from the
historical record; otherwise characters will remain two-
dimensional and never develop. In effect, the creation
o fa good narrative requires the telling of lies.

(10)   Nonetheless there is a clear and important
distinction between telling lies and making mistakes. A
lie is intentional and purposeful; a mistake is accidental
and often unforgivable. The spectrum of historical
fiction is therefore not as simple as “accurate
  (15)   equals good” and “inaccurate equals bad.” It depends
on whether the inaccuracies are constructive lies or
accidental mistakes. Effective lies add to the story;
mistakes detract from it.

Of course, some lies go too far and alienate
  (20)   the reader. Some are too obvious. But some lying is
necessary, and to get away with it, one has to be both
subtle and convincing. Shakespeare is a good model in
this respect. He distorted the facts freely and knowingly
conflated historical characters in historical plays.
  (25)   Yet such distortion makes the drama of human lives
meaningful and memorable.

Passage B

As a writer of autobiographical texts, I’m always
astonished at how falsely I remember things, astonished
at how unreliable memory is. And even when I know
  (30)   amemory is incorrect, part of my brain cleaves to
the wrong, imagined memory. I hold two memories
in my head, and the false one is more vivid and more
emotionally significant to me than the actual one.
Which, then, is the truest memory?

(35)   It’s convenient when the actual events adequately
convey the emotional experience, but sometimes they
don’t and the writer has to choose. While I wouldn’t be
so disingenuous as to argue that a false memory is valid
simply because it is vivid, would argue that there must
  (40)   be a subjective truth to it, an emotional! truth.

Ultimately, lying is all but inescapable for a
writer attempting to create an artistically coherent
autobiography. One reads an autobiography to see how
the writer experienced and evaluates his or her own life,
  (45)   and a biography to find a more objective view. If false
memories have an emotional power for the person who
creates them, it’s arguably more misleading to omit
them than it is to include them.

My argument grows strained and my tone shrill
  (50)   because I’m unhappy with the patently illogical and
unethical position that practical experience has led me
to. Nonetheless, the trust a reader brings to reading an
autobiography is a trust in a convincingly told tale, not
the trust one brings to a newspaper article or a history
  (55)   of Assyria, in which aesthetics are secondary to factual
accuracy. Autobiography dances on the shifting middle
ground between fact and fiction, and different writers
will draw their lines on that ground in different places.    1 
 1. Which one of the following is a central topic of each passage?

(A) the obligation to suppress creativity in the interest of factual accuracy in certain literary genres
(B) the critical distinction between intentional lies and unintentional mistakes in literature
(C) the essential role of falsehood in a literary genre that depicts real past events
(D) the impossibility of representing the past accurately in works of literature
(E) the ethical problems posed by the use of fabrication in a literary genre that depicts real past events

2 
 2. Passage A, unlike passage B, seeks to advance its argument by

(A) examining one particular example in depth
(B) criticizing the views of opponents
(C) describing the author’s own experiences as a writer
(D) citing a venerated author as support for the claims being made
(E) suggesting that the phenomenon under discussion is ethically questionable

3 
 3. Which one of the following is a claim that is advanced by the author of passage B, but not by the author of passage A?

(A) The position that a good narrative about past events requires some falsehood is ultimately unethical.
(B) Though it is often necessary to include lies in certain types of literature, some such lies can be too obvious.
(C) There is a significant difference between intentionally told lies and unintentional mistakes.
(D) The best writers of autobiographical texts tend to be those who are also accomplished writers of fiction.
(E) There is a significant difference between subtle, effective lies and obvious, ineffective lies.

4 
 4. Which one of the following most accurately describes how the passages are related to each other?

(A) Passage A describes an approach that passage B rejects.
(B) Passage A outlines a set of general principles that passage B applies to a specific case.
(C) Passage A and passage B describe the same set of particulars but come to opposing conclusions about them.
(D) Passage A and passage B advance arguments that are roughly parallel but apply them to somewhat different contexts.
(E) Passage A and passage B endorse the same principles but arrive at conflicting interpretations of what they mean in practice.

5 
 5. Which one of the following is a principle applied to historical fiction in passage A that the author of passage B would be most likely to regard as NOT applicable to the genre of autobiography as well?

(A) A mistake, as opposed to an intentional lie, is often unforgivable.
(B) The creation of a good narrative requires the telling of lies.
(C) Knowingly presenting false details is ultimately unethical.
(D) Lying successfully requires an author to be both subtle and convincing.
(E) Skillful distortion can make the drama of human lives meaningful and memorable.

6 
 6. Both authors would be likely to disagree with which one of the following?

(A) The truth of a given description is independent of its emotional vividness.
(B) Unintentional mistakes tend to detract from a story more than intentional lies do.
(C) Most writers usually succeed in presenting their fabrications subtly and convincingly.
(D) The tendency of authors to introduce falsehoods into their narratives increases over time.
(E) Readers expect complete factual accuracy when they read.

7 
 7. Which one of the following comes closest to capturing what the author of passage B means to suggest in asking, at the end of the first paragraph, "Which, then, is the truest memory?"

(A) In autobiographical writing, is there ultimately any sense to the concept of truth at all?
(B) Given the unreliable nature of memory, is it possible for autobiographical authors to know whether they are representing facts accurately?
(C) If there are gaps in an autobiographical author's memories, should that author acknowledge the gaps or fill them with plausible fabrications?
(D) Should autobiographical authors concern themselves with the question of what is a "true" representation of events from their lives?
(E) Does truth in autobiographical writing consist in the accurate representation of the facts, or in the accurate representation of subjective experience?

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 69 Date: 21-Mar-2023
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

Source:   LSAT Official PrepTest 88

vivek920368 · Answer

please share an explanation of Q4,5, and 7.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. Which one of the following most accurately describes how the passages are related to each other?

Explanation

(A) Passage A describes an approach that passage B rejects. 
This option suggests that Passage A presents an approach or perspective that is later rejected or refuted by Passage B. However, this is not the case. Passage A discusses the use of lies in historical fiction, while Passage B explores the inclusion of false memories in autobiographical writing. The two passages do not directly address each other or present opposing views.

(B) Passage A outlines a set of general principles that passage B applies to a specific case. 
This option suggests that Passage A presents general principles or guidelines that Passage B applies to a specific case. However, this is not accurate. Passage A discusses the challenges and use of lies in historical fiction, while Passage B focuses on the nature of memory and autobiographical writing. The passages do not align in terms of general principles and specific cases.

(C) Passage A and passage B describe the same set of particulars but come to opposing conclusions about them. 
This option suggests that both passages describe the same set of particulars but reach opposing conclusions. However, this is not the case. Passage A discusses the use of lies in historical fiction, while Passage B explores the inclusion of false memories in autobiographical writing. While they both touch on the theme of truth and fiction, their specific arguments and conclusions differ.

(D) Passage A and passage B advance arguments that are roughly parallel but apply them to somewhat different contexts.  
This option accurately captures the relationship between the two passages. Passage A discusses the use of lies in historical fiction, while Passage B explores the inclusion of false memories in autobiographical writing. The arguments are roughly parallel in terms of incorporating fictional elements, but they apply to different contexts (historical fiction vs. autobiographical writing).

(E) Passage A and passage B endorse the same principles but arrive at conflicting interpretations of what they mean in practice. 
This option suggests that both passages endorse the same principles but interpret them differently in practice. However, this is not the case. While both passages touch on the themes of truth, fiction, and storytelling, their specific arguments and conclusions differ. Passage A discusses lies in historical fiction, while Passage B explores false memories in autobiographical writing. They do not endorse the exact same principles or arrive at conflicting interpretations.

In light of the explanations above, option (D) is the most accurate description of the relationship between Passage A and Passage B.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. Which one of the following is a principle applied to historical fiction in passage A that the author of passage B would be most likely to regard as NOT applicable to the genre of autobiography as well?

Explanation

(A) A mistake, as opposed to an intentional lie, is often unforgivable.  
In Passage A, the author distinguishes between intentional lies and accidental mistakes, stating that mistakes are often unforgivable. Passage B, on the other hand, discusses the unreliable nature of memory and the inclusion of false memories in autobiographical writing. The author argues for the subjective truth and emotional significance of false memories. Therefore, the author of Passage B would likely view mistakes in memory differently than mistakes in historical fiction, making this option applicable to historical fiction but not applicable to autobiography.

(B) The creation of a good narrative requires the telling of lies. 
In Passage A, the author argues that the creation of a good narrative in historical fiction requires the telling of lies. In Passage B, the author discusses the inclusion of false memories in autobiographical writing. Although they don't explicitly mention lying, they argue for the inclusion of subjective truths. Therefore, the author of Passage B would likely regard this principle as applicable to autobiography as well.

(C) Knowingly presenting false details is ultimately unethical. 
Passage A does not directly address the ethics of knowingly presenting false details. In Passage B, the author acknowledges the presence of false memories in their autobiographical writing and argues for their inclusion based on emotional truth. However, they express unhappiness with the illogical and unethical position they feel practical experience has led them to. Therefore, the author of Passage B would likely view knowingly presenting false details as unethical, making this option applicable to both historical fiction and autobiography.

(D) Lying successfully requires an author to be both subtle and convincing. 
In Passage A, the author mentions that to get away with lying in historical fiction, one has to be both subtle and convincing. In Passage B, the author focuses more on the inclusion of false memories and the subjective truth they hold. They do not directly address the concept of successful lying or the need to be subtle and convincing. Therefore, the author of Passage B would not necessarily regard this principle as applicable to autobiography.

(E) Skillful distortion can make the drama of human lives meaningful and memorable. 
In Passage A, the author argues that skillful distortion in historical fiction can make the drama of human lives meaningful and memorable. Passage B discusses the inclusion of false memories in autobiographical writing, but it does not directly address skillful distortion. Therefore, it is unclear whether the author of Passage B would regard this principle as applicable to autobiography or not.

Based on the analysis above, it is evident that the correct answer is (A) A mistake, as opposed to an intentional lie, is often unforgivable. The author of Passage B, discussing autobiographical writing and the inclusion of false memories, would likely view mistakes in memory differently than mistakes in historical fiction, making this principle not applicable to autobiography.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

7. Which one of the following comes closest to capturing what the author of passage B means to suggest in asking, at the end of the first paragraph, "Which, then, is the truest memory?"

Explanation

In Passage B, the author reflects on the nature of memory and questions the concept of truth in autobiographical writing. The author acknowledges the unreliability of memory and the presence of false memories that are vivid and emotionally significant. The author suggests that subjective truth, or the emotional truth experienced by the individual, holds significance in autobiographical writing.

By asking, "Which, then, is the truest memory?" at the end of the first paragraph, the author of Passage B is implying that truth in autobiographical writing may not solely rely on the accurate representation of factual events but also on the accurate representation of subjective experience. The author is exploring the idea that the emotional truth and the impact of memories can hold more weight in autobiographical writing than strict adherence to factual accuracy.

Therefore, answer choice (E) accurately captures what the author of Passage B suggests in questioning the concept of truth in autobiographical writing.

Answer: E

rushimehta · Answer

Sajjad1994

please share an explanation for answer 6 as well... Thanks in advance!

anonymousboi23 · Answer

Please share the explanation of question 6.

anonymousboi23 · Answer

Can someone please share the explanation for question 6?

The path a historical novelist has to tread is clearly beset by danger

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The path a historical novelist has to tread is clearly beset by danger

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