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Posts: 146
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
85%
(hard)
Question Stats:
54% (03:02) correct
46%
(03:24)
wrong
based on 466
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
As part of a joint planning process, the Literature departments of two schools - Riverview High School (RHS) and Westside High School (WHS) - have decided that all future literary events at each school shall be directly connected to the subject of expertise of the faulty at the Literature department of the respective school. RHS's areas of expertise are pre-19th century American Novels, 20th century French Plays, and Indian English Literature. WHS's areas of expertise are 19th century American Novels, 20th century Russian Plays and Novels, and African-American Poetry.
In addition, RHS's next literary event must be devoted to something other than American or French Literature, but restricted to the 20th century. WHS's next literary event must be devoted to Literature that narrates a historical event, or at least the setting of the literary works discussed should correspond to the historical time to which they belong, preferably including at least some work by female writers in the Western world.
For each of the two schools, select a work that could be Included in the school's next literary event without violating any of the requirements of the event. Make only two selections, one in each column.
In addition, RHS's next literary event must be devoted to something other than American or French Literature, but restricted to the 20th century. WHS's next literary event must be devoted to Literature that narrates a historical event, or at least the setting of the literary works discussed should correspond to the historical time to which they belong, preferably including at least some work by female writers in the Western world.
For each of the two schools, select a work that could be Included in the school's next literary event without violating any of the requirements of the event. Make only two selections, one in each column.
| RHS | WHS | |
| En attendant Godot an absurdist play, by Samuel Beckett (Male, French, 20th century). | ||
| Doctor Zhivago, a historical and romantic novel, by Boris Pasternak (Male, Russian, 20th century). | ||
| To The Lighthouse, a novel belonging to the genre of Modernism, by Virginia Woolf. (Female, English, 20th century). | ||
| Bravely Fought the Queen, a play on gender issues, by Mahesh Dattan (Male, Indian, 20th century) | ||
| Beloved, a novel based on the story of an African-American slave, Margaret Garner, by Tonl Morison (Female, American, 20th century). |
This is a Two-Part Analysis question that reads more like a logic puzzle than a literature question, the actual books barely matter, the categories do.
1. RHS's rule: skip American and French literature, stay in the 20th century. RHS's three areas are pre-19th century American novels (out), 20th century French plays (out), and Indian English literature (no exclusion). So RHS needs a 20th century Indian English work. "Bravely Fought the Queen" by Mahesh Dattani fits exactly.
2. WHS's rule: literature that narrates a historical event or has a setting matching the era it's categorized under, preferably with a female Western writer. WHS's areas are 19th century American novels, 20th century Russian plays/novels, and African-American poetry.
3. "Doctor Zhivago" fits the Russian category and is explicitly historical, but it's written by a man, so it only checks two of three boxes.
4. "To The Lighthouse" is by a female Western writer but doesn't belong to any of WHS's three categories, so it's disqualified regardless of the "preferably" condition.
5. "Beloved" by Toni Morrison narrates a real historical event from 19th century slavery, lines up with the 19th century American novels category, and Morrison is a female Western writer. All three conditions in one pick.
Answer: RHS gets "Bravely Fought the Queen," WHS gets "Beloved."
The trap is picking whatever sounds the most "historical" on its face without checking it against every listed condition. When a TPA question stacks three requirements, the credited answer usually satisfies all three, not just the obvious one.
Takeaway: build a checklist from the conditions first, then test every option against all of them, don't stop at the first one that half-fits.
_________________
1. RHS's rule: skip American and French literature, stay in the 20th century. RHS's three areas are pre-19th century American novels (out), 20th century French plays (out), and Indian English literature (no exclusion). So RHS needs a 20th century Indian English work. "Bravely Fought the Queen" by Mahesh Dattani fits exactly.
2. WHS's rule: literature that narrates a historical event or has a setting matching the era it's categorized under, preferably with a female Western writer. WHS's areas are 19th century American novels, 20th century Russian plays/novels, and African-American poetry.
3. "Doctor Zhivago" fits the Russian category and is explicitly historical, but it's written by a man, so it only checks two of three boxes.
4. "To The Lighthouse" is by a female Western writer but doesn't belong to any of WHS's three categories, so it's disqualified regardless of the "preferably" condition.
5. "Beloved" by Toni Morrison narrates a real historical event from 19th century slavery, lines up with the 19th century American novels category, and Morrison is a female Western writer. All three conditions in one pick.
Answer: RHS gets "Bravely Fought the Queen," WHS gets "Beloved."
The trap is picking whatever sounds the most "historical" on its face without checking it against every listed condition. When a TPA question stacks three requirements, the credited answer usually satisfies all three, not just the obvious one.
Takeaway: build a checklist from the conditions first, then test every option against all of them, don't stop at the first one that half-fits.
_________________
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Posts: 301
Doctor Zhivago, a historical and romantic novel, by Boris Pasternak (Male, Russian, 20th century).
Why this can't be WHS? question ask for could be included, not best of all, and for female writer its mentioned preferable (so not necessary).
Why this can't be WHS? question ask for could be included, not best of all, and for female writer its mentioned preferable (so not necessary).
Hi gullyboy09,
Your reading is actually sharp: on the hard rules alone, Doctor Zhivago really does pass. It's a 20th-century Russian novel (WHS's expertise) and it's explicitly historical, so it clears the "narrates a historical event / period-correct setting" requirement. You're also right that "preferably" is a soft signal, not a mandatory gate. So why isn't it the answer?
Because the question forces exactly one pick per column - and for WHS two options survive the hard rules. Both Doctor Zhivago and Beloved satisfy every mandatory condition. When that happens, a well-built TPA question can't have two credited answers, so the soft preference is deliberately there to break the tie.
Line them up against WHS's stated preference - a female writer from the Western world:
- Doctor Zhivago: male author (Boris Pasternak) - misses the preference.
- Beloved: Toni Morrison, a female American (Western) writer - hits it - while also matching the African-American / 19th-century-American-novel focus and being rooted in a real historical event.
Therefore, the credited answer is the one that satisfies everything it can - every hard rule plus the preference. That's Beloved.
A quick way to feel why the preference matters here: imagine the prompt had no "preferably" line at all. Then both Zhivago and Beloved would clear the rules equally, and the question would have two right answers for WHS - which never happens. The preference is precisely the tool that keeps the WHS answer unique.
So: RHS = Bravely Fought the Queen, WHS = Beloved. Your instinct about "preferably" wasn't wrong - it just becomes the decider once more than one option clears the must-haves.
Answer: Column 1 (RHS) = Bravely Fought the Queen, a play on gender issues, by Mahesh Dattan (Male, Indian, 20th century); Column 2 (WHS) = Beloved, a novel based on the story of an African-American slave, Margaret Garner, by Tonl Morison (Female, American, 20th century).
_________________
Your reading is actually sharp: on the hard rules alone, Doctor Zhivago really does pass. It's a 20th-century Russian novel (WHS's expertise) and it's explicitly historical, so it clears the "narrates a historical event / period-correct setting" requirement. You're also right that "preferably" is a soft signal, not a mandatory gate. So why isn't it the answer?
Because the question forces exactly one pick per column - and for WHS two options survive the hard rules. Both Doctor Zhivago and Beloved satisfy every mandatory condition. When that happens, a well-built TPA question can't have two credited answers, so the soft preference is deliberately there to break the tie.
Line them up against WHS's stated preference - a female writer from the Western world:
- Doctor Zhivago: male author (Boris Pasternak) - misses the preference.
- Beloved: Toni Morrison, a female American (Western) writer - hits it - while also matching the African-American / 19th-century-American-novel focus and being rooted in a real historical event.
Therefore, the credited answer is the one that satisfies everything it can - every hard rule plus the preference. That's Beloved.
A quick way to feel why the preference matters here: imagine the prompt had no "preferably" line at all. Then both Zhivago and Beloved would clear the rules equally, and the question would have two right answers for WHS - which never happens. The preference is precisely the tool that keeps the WHS answer unique.
So: RHS = Bravely Fought the Queen, WHS = Beloved. Your instinct about "preferably" wasn't wrong - it just becomes the decider once more than one option clears the must-haves.
Answer: Column 1 (RHS) = Bravely Fought the Queen, a play on gender issues, by Mahesh Dattan (Male, Indian, 20th century); Column 2 (WHS) = Beloved, a novel based on the story of an African-American slave, Margaret Garner, by Tonl Morison (Female, American, 20th century).
gullyboy09
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Posts: 34
How are the conditions met for WHS when their expertise is 19 century American Novel and African American Poetry. Isn't this choice a trap since it a 20 century African American Novel which is neither a African American poetry or 19 century Novel?
And the premises says expertise shall be directly connected.
And the premises says expertise shall be directly connected.
egmat
Not a great question.
1. Expertise as also mentioned above is not directly linked in thr given OA for WHS. It is Russian novels or American poetry, in case of WHS. So, American- African novel does not fit in.
2. Preferably does not mean necessity. So, a thing meeting all criteria but not the one given under preferable condition can also fit in. The question clearly mentions that it should not violate any of the conditions/necessities.
_________________
1. Expertise as also mentioned above is not directly linked in thr given OA for WHS. It is Russian novels or American poetry, in case of WHS. So, American- African novel does not fit in.
2. Preferably does not mean necessity. So, a thing meeting all criteria but not the one given under preferable condition can also fit in. The question clearly mentions that it should not violate any of the conditions/necessities.
_________________
Posts: 3
this is not in the expertise of rhs
gullyboy09
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