There are two theories that have been used to explain ancient and mode

Sorry for the late reply!

This is a pretty tough passage. Rather than trying to understand all this junk in the context of the real world, just try your best to understand it in the context of the passage itself.

For starters, the author thinks that the first theory is flawed because it fails to distinguish between "tragic process" and "tragic condition. What exactly does that mean? Eh, maybe that's not crystal-clear, but at least we have a fuzzy picture of what the author is trying to say.

In line 14, we get what's supposed to be an explanation of that distinction (starting with "the theory does not acknowledge that..."), but unfortunately that explanation is pretty tough to follow. You should absolutely do your best to read that part carefully and understand it. BUT, if after reading it once or twice you're still confused, go with what you've got and move on.

For example, you might say to yourself, "alright, I know there are two theories, and according to the author each one is useful but imperfect. A flaw with the first theory is that it fails to distinguish between tragic process and tragic condition. The author talks about fate in explaining that distinction -- I don't really get it, but I know where to look if I get to a question about it..."

If you're lucky, they won't even ask about that part of the passage that you had trouble understanding! And if they do, maybe your limited understand will be enough to help you eliminate 2 or 3 choices using POE. Also, there might be something later in the passage that helps you better understand the part you struggled with.

In any case, it's NOT worth driving yourself nuts trying to understand every little detail of a passage. Instead, try your best to understand the purpose and structure, and then move on, regardless of how comfortable you feel. Remember, it's an adaptive test, and you're supposed to get questions wrong. So let go of the ones that stump you to make sure you have time for the more manageable ones.

For more on how to approach RC in general, check out this article or this RC video series (filmed LIVE!) or this longer RC video series.

For more on letting go when you're stumped, check out this video.

I hope that helps!