Initially the Vinaver theory that Malorys eight romances, once though

Question

Initially the Vinaver theory that Malory’s eight romances, once thought to be fundamentally unified, were in fact eight independent works produced both a sense of relief and an unpleasant shock. Vinaver’s theory comfortably explained away the apparent contradictions of chronology and made each romance independently satisfying. It was, however, disagreeable to find that what had been thought of as one book was now eight books. Part of this response was the natural reaction to the disturbance of set ideas. Nevertheless, even now,after lengthy considerations of the theory’s refined but legitimate observations, one cannot avoid the conclusion that the eight romances are only one work. It is not quite a matter of disagreeing with the theory of independence, but of rejecting its implications: that the romances may be taken in any or no particular order, that they have no cumulative effect, and that they are as separate as the works of any modern novelist.   1 
 1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

A. discuss the validity of a hypothesis
B. summarise a system of general principles
C. propose guidelines for future arguments
D. stipulate conditions for acceptance of an interpretation
E. deny accusations about an apparent contradiction

2 
 2. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes which of the following about Malory’s works?

I. There are meaningful links between and about the romances
II. The subtleties of the romances are obscured when they are taken as one work
III. Any contradictions in chronology among the romances are less important than their overall unity

A. I only
B. III only
C. I and III only
D. II and III only
E. I, II and III

3 
 3. The author of the passage concedes which of the following about Vinaver’s theory?

A. It gives a clearer understanding of the unity of Malory’s romances
B. It demonstrates the irrationality of considering Malory’s romances to be unified.
C. It establishes acceptable links between Malory’s romances and modern novels.
D. It unifies earlier and later theories concerning the chronology of Malory’s romances.
E. It makes valid and subtle comments about Malory’s romances.

4 
 4. It can be inferred from the passage that in evaluating the Vinaver theory, some critics were

A. Frequently misled by the inconsistencies in Malory’s work.
B. Initially biased by previous interpretations of Malory’s work.
C. Conceptually displeased by the general interpretations that Vinaver rejected.
D. Generally in agreement with Vinaver’s comparisons between Malory and modern novelists
E. Originally skeptical about Vinaver’s early conclusions with respect to modern novels.

bM22 · Accepted Answer

4. It can be inferred from the passage that in evaluating the Vinaver theory, some critics were

A. Frequently misled by the inconsistencies in Malory’s work.
  B. Initially biased by previous interpretations of Malory’s work.  
C. Conceptually displeased by the general interpretations that Vinaver rejected.
D. Generally in agreement with Vinaver’s comparisons between Malory and modern novelists
E. Originally skeptical about Vinaver’s early conclusions with respect to modern novels.

Explanation: B can inferred from the lines: "Part of this response was the natural reaction to the disturbance of set ideas." and "It is not quite a matter of disagreeing with the theory of independence, but of rejecting its implications".
The lines mentioned imply that the response that Malory's work received was initially biased. The critics did not completely disagree with his work also, thus B is the correct answer.

Option C is incorrect, because it mentions that critics were conceptually  displeased by the general interpretations that Vinaver rejected , what we can infer is that critics were displeased with his interpretations  and not by the interpretations that Vinaver rejected .
Thus C is incorrect.

Hope This Helps.
Thanks.

Harshjha001 · Answer

I found the respective answers in these statements -:

Q2 -:"that the eight romances are only one work" and "rejecting its implications: that the romances may be taken in any or no particular order "
Q3-:"Nevertheless, even now,after lengthy considerations of the theory’s refined but   legitimate observations   "
Q4-:"response was the natural reaction to the disturbance of   set ideas   "

bM22 · Answer

2. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes which of the following about Malory’s works?

I can be inferred from the lines: "Nevertheless, even now,after lengthy considerations of the theory’s refined but legitimate observations,  one cannot avoid the conclusion that the eight romances are only one work " 
and
"It is not quite a matter of disagreeing with the theory of independence, but of  rejecting its implications: that the romances may be taken in any or no particular order, that they have no cumulative effect, and that they are as separate as the works of any modern novelist. ".

The above highlighted lines imply that there are meaningful links between and about the romances.

This is exactly opposite of what author has mentioned in the passage. Thus, II is incorrect.

III can be inferred from the lines: "Vinaver’s theory comfortably  explained away the apparent contradictions of chronology  and made each romance independently satisfying. It was,  however, disagreeable to find that what had been thought of as one book was now eight books. ", implying that though Vinaver had explained the contradictions of the chronology of the romances, it was against the idea that the eight books were just one book. Thus, we can infer that author believes that any contradictions in chronology among the romances are  less important  than their overall unity.

Hope This Helps.
Thanks.

glagad · Answer

Hello  Sajjad1994   GMATNinja  - I faltered in all questions. This was just when I thought I am getting better at RC. Do you mind sharing why the answers are correct? Thanks

Gemmie · Answer

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to:
A. discuss the validity of a hypothesis

The passage discusses the Vinaver theory, evaluates its implications, and ultimately concludes that despite the theory's refined observations, the romances are still considered as one unified work. This indicates a discussion about the validity of the hypothesis.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes which of the following about Malory’s works?
C. I and III only

I. There are meaningful links between and about the romances:   This is supported by the author's belief that the eight romances are ultimately one work, implying meaningful connections.

II. The subtleties of the romances are obscured when they are taken as one work:  The passage does not support this. The author does not mention that the subtleties are obscured; instead, they discuss the discomfort with viewing them as separate works.

III. Any contradictions in chronology among the romances are less important than their overall unity:   This is supported by the author's ultimate conclusion that the romances form one unified work despite chronological contradictions.

3. The author of the passage concedes which of the following about Vinaver’s theory?
E. It makes valid and subtle comments about Malory’s romances.

The author acknowledges that Vinaver’s theory offers "refined but legitimate observations," indicating a concession that the theory makes valid and subtle comments about the romances.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that in evaluating the Vinaver theory, some critics were
B. Initially biased by previous interpretations of Malory’s work.

The passage indicates that the initial reaction to the Vinaver theory included both a sense of relief and an unpleasant shock. This suggests that critics were initially influenced by the long-held belief that Malory's works were fundamentally unified, and this bias affected their evaluation of Vinaver's theory.

GMATNinja · Answer

When you miss all or most of the questions for a given RC passage, it is likely that you haven't grasped the big picture of the passage itself. Instead of going through explanations of each question, check out  this article  or  this video  and take another crack at reading the passage. Can you articulate why the author wrote each chunk? If yes, go ahead and try the questions again.

If you have more specific questions after completing the above, please let us know.

I hope that helps a bit!

VerbalBot · Answer

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Initially the Vinaver theory that Malorys eight romances, once though

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Initially the Vinaver theory that Malorys eight romances, once though

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