Sometimes one reads a poem and believes that the poem expresses

Question

Sometimes one reads a poem and believes that the poem expresses contradictory ideas, even if it is a great poem. So it is wrong to think that the meaning of a poem is whatever the author intends to communicate to the reader by means of the poem. No one who is writing a great poem intends it to communicate contradictory ideas.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) Different readers will usually disagree about what the author of a particular poem intends to communicate by means of that poem.
(B) If someone writes a great poem, he or she intends the poem to express one primary idea.
(C) Readers will not agree about the meaning of a poem if they do not agree about what the author of the poem intended the poem to mean.
(D) Anyone reading a great poem can discern every idea that the author intended to express in the poem.
(E) If a reader believes that a poem expresses a particular idea, then that idea is part of the meaning of the poem.

Vissuu · Answer

one reads a poem and believes that the poem expresses contradictory ideas —> so —> here comes a position based on the first statement —> meaning of poem is not what ever the author intends to convey.

Here the missing link for the argument to stand is between “what readers believe” and “meaning of the poem”, only option E does that.

Correct me if i am wrong

NDTTT · Answer

Can someone clarify more on this?

HorseGiggles · Answer

here what questions wants to say is, if someone reads a poem and  thinks  that the poem is depicting contradictory ideas (according to what he understands by reading the poem) then it is wrong to believe that the  actual meaning  of the poem and the ideas that poet wanted to convey are same. Because no poet conveys contradictory ideas in same poem.

Flaw in the argument: if you read and understand the argument carefully, in the first line, the meaning that is understood by the reader is thought to be same as actual meaning. What I mean to say is argument assumes that whatever the reader understood by the poem is same is the actual meaning of the poem (he truly understands the poem very well).

and this is what is stated in the OPTION E

(E) If a reader believes that a poem expresses a particular idea, then that idea is part of the meaning of the poem.

(it might be the case that reader has misunderstood the poem and what he understood is different from the actual meaning of the poem, but by assuming OPTION E the argument above holds true)

Hope this helps.

Basshead · Answer

The conclusion is the second sentence: It is wrong to think that the meaning of a poem is whatever the author intends to communicate to the reader by means of the poem.

There is a gap in this argument. In the stimulus, we're told that sometimes one reads a poem and   believes   that the poem expresses contradictory ideas. The conclusion is firm: the meaning of a poem is   not   whatever the author intends to communicate to the reader by means of the poem.

For this argument to work, we need to assume that one who reads a poem and believes that the poem expresses contradictory idea has the correct meaning -- that the poem expresses contradictory ideas. This is what E says: If a reader believes that a poem expresses a particular idea, then that idea is part of the meaning of the poem.

In short, we shifted from the author's intent to the reader's opinion -- we need to account for that assumption.

unraveled · Answer

Sometimes one reads a poem and believes that the poem expresses contradictory ideas, even if it is a great poem. So it is wrong to think that the meaning of a poem is whatever the author intends to communicate to the reader by means of the poem. No one who is writing a great poem intends it to communicate contradictory ideas.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

Second sentence is the conclusion.
Because no one who is writing a great poem intends it to communicate contradictory ideas, it is wrong to think that the meaning of a poem is whatever the author intends to communicate to the reader by means of the poem. 
However, the key is the first sentence. SOMETIMES upon reading a poem, even if it great, one may find or believe that the poem expresses contradictory ideas.

Probable assumption:
- 'Sometimes' is enough to reach such a conclusion. But this is a lose one.
- May be that contradictory idea was as prevalent as it is now.
- Author has only one idea intended to communicate.

There might many but is what i think of as of now.

(A)  Different readers will usually disagree  about what the author of a particular poem intends to communicate by means of that poem. - WRONG. True in real world. No value here though.
(B) If someone writes a great poem, he or she intends the poem to  express one primary idea . - WRONG. Irrelevant.
(C)  Readers will not agree about the meaning of a poem  if they do not agree about what the author of the poem intended the poem to mean. - WRONG. Agreeing among many readers is not concerned.
(D) Anyone reading a great poem  can discern every idea  that the author intended to express in the poem. - WRONG. Bogus.
(E) If a reader believes that a poem expresses a particular idea, then that idea is part of the meaning of the poem. - CORRECT. Little philosophical but that's how the argument is in itself. If that idea is not part of the meaning then it is not true to conclude in such a manner.

Answer E.

oliboy333 · Answer

I think it is easier to understand why E) is the correct answer when restructuring the passage as follows:

1) No one who is writing a great poem intends it to communicate contradictory ideas.

2) Sometimes one reads a poem and believes that the poem expresses contradictory ideas, even if it is a great poem.

3) If a reader believes that a poem expresses a particular idea, then that idea is part of the meaning of the poem.

4) So it is wrong to think that the meaning of a poem is whatever the author intends to communicate to the reader by means of the poem.

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siddhantMM · Answer

In this E IS ANSWER BY NEGATION TECHNIQUE 
 AFTER NEGATION E SENTANCE SAYS "IDEA IS NOT THE PART OF THE POEM " MEANS POEM BY WRITER HAVE has contradictory (inconsistent) ideas so this is destroying our conclusion after negation because conclusion was writer not intend to give contradictory ideas

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Hellohello007 · Answer

Hi, I get how E is filling the missing link / gap, but shouldnt the negation of E attack the argument?

I think E' supports! Can someone please clarify

guddo · Answer

Sometimes one reads a poem and believes that the poem expresses contradictory ideas, even if it is a great poem. So it is wrong to think that the meaning of a poem is whatever the author intends to communicate to the reader by means of the poem. No one who is writing a great poem intends it to communicate contradictory ideas.
 
 Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

The argument says that a reader may find contradictory ideas in a great poem even though the author did not intend to communicate contradictory ideas. For this to show that  a poem’s meaning can differ from the author’s intended meaning , the argument must assume that what the reader finds in the poem can actually be part of its meaning.

(A) Different readers will usually disagree about what the author of a particular poem intends to communicate by means of that poem.

Incorrect. The argument does not depend on disagreements among different readers.

(B) If someone writes a great poem, he or she intends the poem to express one primary idea.

Incorrect. The author may intend several ideas. The argument requires only that the author not intend contradictory ideas.

(C) Readers will not agree about the meaning of a poem if they do not agree about what the author of the poem intended the poem to mean.

Incorrect. The argument does not concern agreement among readers.

(D) Anyone reading a great poem can discern every idea that the author intended to express in the poem.

Incorrect. The argument does not require readers to identify everything the author intended.

(E) If a reader believes that a poem expresses a particular idea, then that idea is part of the meaning of the poem.

Correct.   The argument relies on the reader’s perception of contradictory ideas to show that a poem’s meaning is not limited to what its author intended. That reasoning works only if an idea perceived by the reader can count as part of the poem’s meaning. If (E) were false, the reader’s perception of contradictory ideas would tell us nothing about the poem’s actual meaning.

Answer: (E)

guddo · Answer

The key is to negate (E) correctly:

(E): If a reader believes a poem expresses an idea, that idea is part of the poem’s meaning.

Negation: A reader’s believing that a poem expresses an idea does  not necessarily mean  that the idea is part of the poem’s meaning.

Now the argument loses its bridge. The fact that a reader  believes  a great poem contains contradictory ideas no longer shows that those contradictory ideas are actually part of the poem’s meaning. So the evidence can no longer support the conclusion that meaning extends beyond what the author intended.

That is why the negation of (E) attacks the argument rather than supports it.

Sometimes one reads a poem and believes that the poem expresses

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Sometimes one reads a poem and believes that the poem expresses

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