Modern archaeological finds can still contribute much to the study of

Question

New Project RC Butler 2019  -  Practice 2 RC Passages Everyday   
Passage # 286, Date : 23-Aug-2019
 This post is a part of New Project RC Butler 2019 .  Click here for Details

Kudos  for the right answers and explanations

Modern archaeological finds can still contribute much to the study of ancient literature. For example, forty years ago a survey of the early Greek dramatist Line Aeschylus' plays would have started with The Suppliant Women. Many factors internal to the play, but perhaps most especially the prominence of the chorus (which in this play has the main role), led scholars to consider it one of Aeschylus' earlier works. The consensus was that here was a drama truly reflecting an early stage in the evolution of tragedy out of the choral lyric. The play was dated as early as the 490's B.C., in any event, well before Aeschylus' play The Persians of 472 B.C. Then, in 1952, a fragment of papyrus found at Oxyrhynchus was published stating the official circumstances and results of a dramatic contest. The fragment announced that Aeschylus won first prize with his Danaid tetralogy, of which  The Suppliant Women  is the opening play, and defeated Sophocles in the process. Sophocles did not compete in any dramatic contest before 468 B.C., when he won his first victory. Hence, except by special pleading (e.g., that the tetralogy was composed early in Aeschylus' career but not produced until the 460's B.C.), the Danaid tetralogy must be put after 468 B.C. In addition, a few letters in the fragment suggest the name Archedemides, archon in 463 B.C., thus perhaps tying the plays to that precise date, almost exactly halfway between Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes of 467 B.C. and his Oresteia.

The implication of the papyrus administered 'a severe shock to the vast majority of classical scholars, who had confidently asserted that not only the role of the chorus but also language, metrics, and characterization all pointed to an early date. The discovery has resulted in no less than a total reevaluation of every-chronological criterion that has been applied to or derived from Aeschylus' plays.  The activity  has been brisk, and a new creed has now spread. The prominence of the chorus in the Suppliant Women now is seen not as a sign of primitivism but as analogous to the massive choral songs of the Oresteia. Statistics have been formulated or reformulated, to show that stylistically The Suppliant Women does actually occupy a position after The Persians and Seven Against Thebes, which now become the "primitive plays, and before the Oresteia. While the new doctrine seems almost certainly correct, the one papyrus fragment raises the specter that another may be unearthed, showing, for instance, that it was a posthumous production of the Danaid tetralogy which bested Sophocles and throwing the date once more into utter confusion. This is unlikely to happen, but it warns us that perhaps the most salutary feature of the papyrus scrap is its message of the extreme difficulty of classifying and categorizing rigidly the development of a creative artist.   1 
 B 
 1. The author of the passage focuses primarily on

(A) discussing a series of modern archaeological finds and their impact on the study of Greek literature 
(B) recounting the effect of one archaeological find on modern ideas concerning a particular author's work 
(C) giving a definitive and coherent account of the chronology of a particular author's work 
(D) illustrating the many varieties of difficulties involved in establishing facts concerning ancient literature
(E) determining the exact value of archaeological finds in relation to the history of ancient literature

2 
 A 
 2. With respect to the study of ancient literature which of the following statements best expresses the' author's main point concerning modern archaeological finds?

(A) They can profoundly alter accepted views of ancient literary works, and can encourage flexibility in the way scholars look at the creative development of any artist. 
(B) They can be severely shocking and can have a revivifying effect on the study of ancient literature, which has recently suffered from a lack of interest on the part of scholars. 
(C) They can raise more questions than they answer and can be unreliable sources of information. 
(D) They generally confirm scholars' ideas about ancient literary works and allow them to dispense with inferences drawn from the works' internal structure. 
(E) They often undermine scholarly consensus in certain areas and create utter confusion concerning an author's work.

3 
 B 
 2. According to the passage, in the absence of definite knowledge concerning the dates of composition of ancient literary works, literary historians do which of the following when trying to establish the chronology of an author's work?

(A) Make assumptions about a single work's date of composition if such assumptions would, not seriously affect interpretations of other works by the same author. 
(B) Draw inferences concerning the date of a work's composition based on evidence internal to that work and on the author's other works. 
(C) Ignore the date of a work's composition which is supplied by archaeological research when literary factors internal to the work contradict that date. 
(D) Refrain from speculation concerning a work's date of composition unless archaeological finds produce information concerning it. 
(E) Estimate the date of a work's composition without attempting to relate it to the author's development as an artist.

4 
 C 
 4. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following plays or groups of plays is considered the latest in the date of its composition?

(A) The Persians 
(B) The Danaid tetralogy 
(C) The Oresteia 
(D) Seven Against Thebes 
(E) The Suppliant Women

5 
 E 
 5. With which of the following statements regarding the chronological criteria mentioned in lines 29-30 would the author be most likely to agree?

(A) Such criteria, whether applied to or derived from the plays, should only be used to confirm already existing knowledge. 
(B) Such criteria, although derived from reliable external and internal evidence, should be changed continually to avoid rigidity in. thinking. 
(C) Such criteria, based on statistical analysis, are inherently more reliable than those of forty years ago . 
(D) Such criteria, even when unsupported by external evidence, can resolve most questions. 
(E) Such criteria, based on often ambiguous internal evidence, can lead to erroneous reconstructions of the chronology of an author's work.

6 
 A 
 6. The author's attitude toward the " activity " mentioned and its consequences can best be described as one of

(A) amused tolerance 
(B) mocking envy 
(C) grave doubt
(D) angry disapproval 
(E) unrestrained enthusiasm

7 
 E 
 7. The allusion to the hypothetical papyrus fragment in lines 39-43 does which of the following?

(A) Supports an argument concerning the date of The Suppliant Women. 
(B) Refutes the views of the majority of scholars concerning the Oxyrhynchus papyrus finds. 
(C) Predicts the future results of archaeological research proposed in the passage. 
(D) Undermines the validity of the currently accepted chronology of Aeschylus' works. 
(E) Qualifies the author's agreement with the "new creed" developed since the Oxyrhynchus papyrus find.

Deadpool3 · Answer

Kanvi  Please find explanation below for 7th question.

The  allusion  to the hypothetical papyrus fragment in lines 45-49 does which of the following?

(A) Supports an argument concerning the date of The Suppliant Women. --> Incorrect 
(B) Refutes the views of the majority of scholars concerning the Oxyrhynchus papyrus finds.--> Nothing as such is done with the help of hypothetical case 
(C) Predicts the future results of archaeological research proposed in the passage. --> Incorrect-->Points to hypothetical case to strengthen his earlier the point 
(D) Undermines the validity of the currently accepted chronology of Aeschylus' works. --> Author is not undermining, only stating that in future the currently accepted point could be changed again. 
(E) Qualifies the author's agreement with the "new creed" developed since the Oxyrhynchus papyrus find.--> Correct for the below reason.
 
In Passage-->
While the  new doctrine seems almost certainly correct , the one papyrus fragment raises the specter  that another may be unearthed,   showing, for instance,  that it was a posthumous production of the Danaid tetralogy which bested Sophocles and  throwing the date once more into utter confusion.  .

With all of the above the author of the passage is strengthening the point that  Modern archaeological finds can still contribute much to the study of ancient literature.

lehieu30794 · Answer

Can someone explain q4?
I thought it's  Seven Against Thebes

mSKR · Answer

Please post official answers 
for Qs : especially 4th and 6th .

bM22 · Answer

Hi  imSKR ,

Let me know if this helps.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following plays or groups of plays is considered the latest in the date of its composition?

(A) The Persians
(B) The Danaid tetralogy
 (C) The Oresteia
 (D) Seven Against Thebes
(E) The Suppliant Women

Explanation: can be inferred from the lines: "The prominence of the chorus in the Suppliant Women now is seen not as a sign of primitivism but as analogous to the massive choral songs of the Oresteia. Statistics have been formulated or reformulated, to show that stylistically  The Suppliant Women does actually occupy a position after The Persians and Seven Against Thebes, which now become the "primitive plays, and before the Oresteia.  ",implying that Oresteia was finally considered the latest in the date of its composition.

6. The author's attitude toward the "activity" mentioned and its consequences can best be described as one of

(A) amused tolerance
 (B) mocking envy
(C) grave doubt
(D) angry disapproval
(E) unrestrained enthusiasm

Explanation: The "activity" is nothing but a total reevaluation of every-chronological criterion that has been applied to or derived from Aeschylus' plays after the discovery of a few letters in the fragment. Author shows the statistics were modified to show that how Suppliant Women came after Persians and Seven Against Thebes. Tolerance and acceptance on Author's part, can be inferred by the lines where he mentions: "While the new doctrine seems almost certainly correct," and later goes on to evaluate the point.
Other options are pretty extreme, author doesn't seem to be showing envy or doubt disapproval or even enthusiasm. A is the best suited answer.

Thanks.

mSKR · Answer

For question 4:

won't 463 be in between 467 and Oresteia? Thus Oresteia becomes 459 AD. That's why i rejected Oresteia. Please suggest

bM22 · Answer

Yes, the above is mentioned in the passage, but then later on author also mentions: "The discovery has resulted in no less than a total reevaluation of every-chronological criterion that has been applied to or derived from Aeschylus' plays.", which later on caused formulation of plays, making Oresteia the latest in the date of its composition.

Thanks.

Shubhi022 · Answer

HI,

In Q4. if Oresteia was the first one then why is it written "before" :  The Suppliant Women does actually occupy a position after The Persians and Seven Against Thebes, which now become the "primitive plays, and before the Oresteia.  "
According to this Suppliant Women occupy position after The Persians and Seven Against Thebes, and these occupy before Oresteia.

This is what I understand. Please explain what's wrong i my approach.

Thanks

mSKR · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994   bm2201

Do you mind sharing official answers for Q1,2,5 and 7th.

I tried this passage after so many months. Although I could understand the passage but still found total four wrong.

For Q1 , I marked C
For Q2, A vs C
For Q5, D vs E
For Q7, I marked B

Please help.

Thanks @ Sajjad1994   bm2201

Modern archaeological finds can still contribute much to the study of

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Modern archaeological finds can still contribute much to the study of

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