Professor Chan: The literature department’s undergraduate courses shou

Question

Professor Chan: The literature department’s undergraduate courses should cover only true literary works, and not such frivolous material as advertisements.

Professor Wigmore: Advertisements might or might not be true literary works but they do have a powerfully detrimental effect on society—largely because people cannot discern their real messages. The literature department’s courses give students the critical skills to analyze and understand texts. Therefore, it is the literature department’s responsibility to include the study of advertisements in its undergraduate courses.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which Professor Wigmore’s argument depends?

(A) Texts that are true literary works never have a detrimental effect on society.

(B) Courses offered by the literature department cannot include both true literary works and material such as advertisement.

(C) Students who take courses in the literature department do not get from those courses other skills besides those needed to analyze and understand texts.

(D) Forms of advertising that convey their message entirely through visual images do not have a detrimental effect on society.

(E) The literature department’s responsibility is not limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works.

akshathbs · Accepted Answer

conclusion::it is the literature department’s responsibility to include the study of advertisements in its undergraduate courses.
k..use assumption negation technique::
a) Texts that are true literary works have a detrimental effect on societ y- k does not hit the conclusion
b) Courses offered by the literature department can include both true literary works and material such as advertisement - this strengthens the conclusion - move on 
c) Students who take courses in the literature department do get from those courses other skills besides those needed to analyze and understand texts -does not hit the conclsion
d) Forms of advertising that convey their message entirely through visual images do have a detrimental effect on society -advertising that convey blah blah have a neagative effect again does not hit the agrument
e) The literature department’s responsibility is limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works -if this is the case then it exempts the lit deptt from including advertisement this weakens the conclusion and hence should be the ans ..
so i pick option E

maddy2u · Answer

IMO E for the above reasons . https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/ass ... t1343.html Consider a kudo if you liked my explanation :wink:

ChrisLele · Answer

Fun question, and one that has been commented on. Nonetheless, I thought I'd drop my two cents

. The crux of Professor Wigmore's statement comes at the very end, "Therefore, it is the literature department's...courses.' There is a major assumption here, and it is about the literature department's responsibility. Professor Chan has it that this responsibility is only limited to "true" works of literature. Wigmore feel that any text amenable to analysis falls under the department's purview. So his assumption is that responsibility is not limited to just "true" literary works, which matches up nicely with (E). Part of what made this question tricky are the other answer choices, which I've dealt with one at a time below

. Professor Chan: The literature department’s undergraduate courses should cover only true literary works, and not such frivolous material as advertisements. Professor Wigmore: Advertisements might or might not be true literary works but they do have a powerfully detrimental effect on society—largely because people cannot discern their real messages. The literature department’s courses give students the critical skills to analyze and understand texts. Therefore, it is the literature department’s responsibility to include the study of advertisements in its undergraduate courses. Which one of the following is an assumption on which Professor Wigmore’s argument depends? (A) Texts that are true literary works never have a detrimental effect on society. We are focused on texts that are not true literary works, i.e., advertisements. (B) Courses offered by the literature department cannot include both true literary works and material such as advertisement. This point doesn't address Wigmore's conclusion. This answer choice would refer to an assumption of Professor Chan. (C) Students who take courses in the literature department do not get from those courses other skills besides those needed to analyze and understand texts. The point of the argument is what to do with the analytical skills: analyze "true" literature or analyze anything textual. (D) Forms of advertising that convey their message entirely through visual images do not have a detrimental effect on society. While Wigmore is focused on advertising, he is not focusing on the visual component. (E) The literature department’s responsibility is not limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works. The Answer.

sidhu09 · Answer

Professor Chan: Against covering Advertisements in the literature class.
Professor Wigmore: Advertisements have harmful effects on the society because people cannot recognize the real meaning behind them. These courses give students skills to analyze and understand texts. Hence it is the responsibility of the department to include advertisements in the course.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which Professor Wigmore’s argument depends?

(A) Texts that are true literary works never have a detrimental effect on society.  - Focus is on the advertisements according to Wigmore, hence irrelevant - Incorrect 
(B) Courses offered by the literature department cannot include both true literary works and material such as advertisement.  - It creates a clash between what both professors think and assume. - Incorrect 
(C) Students who take courses in the literature department do not get from those courses other skills besides those needed to analyze and understand texts.  - Talking about other skills besides analyzing and understanding texts is irrelevant - Incorrect 
(D) Forms of advertising that convey their message entirely through visual images do not have a detrimental effect on society.  - Advertisements through Visual images is out of scope - Incorrect 
(E) The literature department’s responsibility is not limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works.  - Wigmore argues that it is the responsibility of the deparment to include advertisements in the course. Option E correctly links the conclusion to the argument. - Correct

Hope the explanation helps.

shamilshah22 · Answer

(E)The literature department’s responsibility is limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works.

I guess the trap over here is whether ads are true literary works or not !! its not clear whether they are true literary works or not... So if we take that they are true literary works then E becomes incorrect...

IMO answer is C

MacFauz · Answer

The conclusion is "it is the literature department’s responsibility to include the study of advertisements in its undergraduate courses". To make things simple, I follow the least extreme negation approach.

Choice E :"The literature department’s responsibility is not limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works." Least extreme negation of this would be something like " The literature department’s responsibility may be limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works. This clearly kills the conclusion. Hence choice E would be the best answer. The same technique can be applied to the other answer choices to reveal that the negation of those would not be having any adverse effect on the conclusion.

mourinhogmat1 · Answer

C is a classic TRAP because it plays with on your mind with words.
Consider this:

Students who take courses in the literature department do not get from those courses other skills besides those needed to analyze and understand texts.

When I read it really fast under exam pressure: This is how I read it --> Student's cannot ge these skills such as analyze and understand texts from any other courses in the litreature department.  THIS IS AN ASSUMPTION!

Now when I read the statement REAAAAAALLLLYYYY SLLOOOWLLLY --> There is no other skill which students can gain from the courses in the literature department. TH IS IS NOT AN ASSUMPTION!

dnalost · Answer

Professor Chan: The literature department’s undergraduate courses should cover only true literary works, and not such frivolous material as advertisements.
Professor Wigmore: Advertisements might or might not be true literary works but they do have a powerfully detrimental effect on society—largely because people cannot discern their real messages. The literature department’s courses give students the critical skills to analyze and understand texts. Therefore, it is the literature department’s responsibility to include the study of advertisements in its undergraduate courses.

Here Professor Wigmore replies to Chan's statement by suggesting that Advertisements in the literature department's courses gives critical skills & hence is required. If there was an option to include both, then the argument by Wigmore does not have any stand. So, Wigmore's argument assumes that there is no provision to include both

Which one of the following is an assumption on which Professor Wigmore’s argument depends?
(A) Texts that are true literary works never have a detrimental effect on society.   This is not assumed  
(B) Courses offered by the literature department cannot include both true literary works and material such as advertisement.  --Correct  
(C) Students who take courses in the literature department do not get from those courses other skills besides those needed to analyze and understand texts.  This is outside scope of argument  
(D) Forms of advertising that convey their message entirely through visual images do not have a detrimental effect on society.  This is out of scope  
(E) The literature department’s responsibility is not limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works.  We are not sure if the advertisements also contain literary value

Hope this helps.

kanusha · Answer

Conclusion : it is the  literature department’s responsibility to include the study of advertisements  in its undergraduate courses.

(A) Texts that are true literary works  never have a detrimental effect  on society. 
(B) Courses offered by the literature department  cannot include bot h true literary works and material such as advertisement.--Correct
(C) Students who take courses in the literature department do not get from  those courses other skills beside s those needed to analyze and understand texts.This is outside scope of argument
(D)  Forms of advertising  that convey their message entirely through  visual image s do not have a detrimental effect on society.This is out of scope
(E) The literature department’s responsibility  is not limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works .We are not sure if the advertisements also contain literary value

E

Blackbox · Answer

I picked   E   as well.

(A) Texts that are true literary works  never  have a detrimental effect on society.   -- Too extreme and looks like assumed. 
(B) Courses offered by the literature department cannot include both true literary works and material such as advertisement.  -- Opposite to the actual conclusion. That is NOT what Prof. W recommends. 
(C) Students who take courses in the literature department do not get from those courses other skills besides those needed to analyze and understand texts.  -- This is outside scope of argument 
(D) Forms of advertising that convey their message entirely through visual images do not have a detrimental effect on society.  -- This is out of scope 
(E) The literature department’s responsibility is not limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works.We are not sure if the advertisements also contain literary value  -- By POE

nightblade354 · Answer

There are two competitors here: (C) and (E):

Professor Chan: The literature department’s undergraduate courses should cover only true literary works and not such frivolous material as advertisements.

Professor Wigmore: Advertisements might or might not be true literary works but they do have a powerfully detrimental effect on society—largely because people cannot discern their real messages. The literature department’s courses give students the critical skills to analyze and understand texts. Therefore, it is the literature department’s responsibility to include the study of advertisements in its undergraduate courses.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which Professor Wigmore’s argument depends?

(A) Texts that are true literary works never have a detrimental effect on society. --  We only talk about advertisements, not literary works, so it is too broad and out of scope 
(B) Courses offered by the literature department cannot include both true literary works and material such as advertisement. --  Negate it, and who cares if they offer both? 
(C) Students who take courses in the literature department do not get from those courses other skills besides those needed to analyze and understand texts. --  Who cares what they also get from the courses as long as they get what the professor stated? Again, doesn't help or destroy the argument 
(D) Forms of advertising that convey their message entirely through visual images do not have a detrimental effect on society. --  Reinforces the first sentence when negated, so doesn't help our argument 
(E) The literature department’s responsibility is not limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works. --  The literature department's responsibility is  LIMITED  to.......so if we cannot teach beyond how to analyze, this argument falls apart. Winner

Blackhawks32 · Answer

Professor Wigmore states that advertisements have a powerful effect on society and that people cannot understand the advertisements true meaning. Additionally, the Professor claims the literature department is designed to teach students critical skills to analyze and understand texts. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the literature department is not solely responsible for teaching students how to analyze only literature works.

Answer choice E.

unraveled · Answer

Professor Chan: The literature department’s undergraduate courses should cover only true literary works, and not such frivolous material as advertisements.

Professor Wigmore: Advertisements might or might not be true literary works but they do have a powerfully detrimental effect on society—largely because people cannot discern their real messages. The literature department’s courses give students the critical skills to analyze and understand texts. Therefore, it is the literature department’s responsibility to include the study of advertisements in its undergraduate courses.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which Professor Wigmore’s argument depends?

(A) Texts that are true literary works  never have a detrimental effect  on society. - WRONG. Situation reversal need not to be true.

(B) Courses offered by the literature department  cannot include both  true literary works and material such as advertisement. - WRONG. Goes contrary to the passage.

(C) Students who take courses in the literature department  do not get from those courses other skills besides  those needed to analyze and understand texts. - WRONG. Irrelevant in reality but it is confusing and thus takes time to get eliminated.

(D) Forms of advertising that convey their message entirely  through visual images do not have a detrimental effect  on society. - WRONG. Conditionality that has no effect actually.

(E) The literature department’s  responsibility is not limited to  teaching students how to analyze true literary works. - CORRECT. If there's a limitation then passage fails to stand as it is.

Answer E.

dhairya18 · Answer

Step 1: Identify the Conclusion
We focus strictly on Professor Wigmore’s argument. 
Conclusion: It is the literature department’s responsibility to include the study of advertisements in its undergraduate courses.

Step 2: Identify the Structure / Line of Reasoning
Let us look at the premises that Professor Wigmore provides to reach this conclusion:
Premise 1: Advertisements have a powerfully detrimental effect on society because people cannot discern their real messages.
Premise 2: Literature department courses give students the critical skills to analyze and understand texts.
Category: Cause–Effect Argument
Professor Wigmore connects a societal problem (harm from advertisements) and a functional tool (critical skills taught by the department) to assign a moral/professional obligation (responsibility) to the department. He acts on the basis that because the department can provide the solution to a cause of harm, it must step in.

Step 3: Jot Down the Core Line of Reasoning & "Bridge the Gap"
To bridge the gap between the premise and the conclusion, we look at the core assumptions required by this specific line of reasoning:
Assumption 1 (Primary Factor/Role): The literature department's responsibility is actually tied to fixing societal issues/analyzing non-literary texts like advertisements, rather than only teaching true literary works as Professor Chan claimed.
Assumption 2 (No other factors): There isn't a strict boundary or rule preventing the literature department from taking on tasks outside of traditional "true literary works".

Step 4: Paraphrase the Answer
Before looking at the options, we pre-determine what the correct answer should say:
Paraphrase: The correct option must show that the literature department is allowed to, or responsible for, teaching things other than just traditional "true literary works." If its scope were strictly limited to true literary works, Wigmore's argument that it must include advertisements completely falls apart.

Evaluation of the Answer Choices
Let us analyze the options one by one:
(A) Texts that are true literary works never have a detrimental effect on society.
Incorrect. Professor Wigmore's argument focuses on why advertisements should be included based on their detrimental effect. What true literary works do or do not do to society is outside the scope of his argument.
(B) Courses offered by the literature department cannot include both true literary works and material such as advertisement.
Incorrect. This option actually contradicts Wigmore's conclusion. Wigmore is arguing that advertisements should be included alongside the curriculum. If they cannot coexist, his argument falls apart in the opposite direction.
(C) Students who take courses in the literature department do not get from those courses other skills besides those needed to analyze and understand texts.
Incorrect. Wigmore relies on the fact that students do get the skills to analyze and understand texts. Whether they get additional skills (like creative writing or historical knowledge) does not impact his argument about advertisements.
(D) Forms of advertising that convey their message entirely through visual images do not have a detrimental effect on society.
Incorrect. This narrows the scope to purely visual ads. Wigmore is making a broad claim about advertisements as "texts" that need analysis. This option is irrelevant to the structural gap between the department's boundary and its responsibility.
(E) The literature department’s responsibility is not limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works.
Correct. This perfectly matches our paraphrase. If the department's responsibility were strictly limited to teaching true literary works, then it could not be responsible for including advertisements (which Wigmore admits "might or might not be true literary works"). Negating this choice completely destroys Wigmore's conclusion.

Professor Chan: The literature department’s undergraduate courses shou

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Professor Chan: The literature department’s undergraduate courses shou

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