Although a historical lack of access to formal Spanish-language educat

Question

Although a historical lack of access to formal Spanish-language education initially limited the opportunities of some Chicanos to hone their skills as writers of Spanish, their bilingual culture clearly fostered an exuberant and compelling oral tradition. It has thus generally been by way of the emphasis on oral literary creativity that these Chicano writers, whose English-language works are sometimes uninspired, developed the powerful and arresting language that characterized their Spanish-language works. This Spanish-English difference is not surprising. When writing in Spanish, these authors stayed close to the spoken traditions of their communities where publication, support, and instructive response would come quickly in local or regional newspapers. Works in English, however, often required the elimination of nuance or colloquialism, the adoption of a formal tone, and the adjustment of themes or ideas to satisfy the different demands of  national publications.     1 
 1. The passage is primarily concerned with doing which of the following?

(A) Debating the historical value of a literary movement
(B) Describing and accounting for a difference in literary styles
(C) Explaining a publishing decision and evaluating its results
(D) Analyzing the expectations of a particular group of readers
(E) Classifying several kinds of literary production

2 
 2. According to the author, the Chicano oral experience contributed directly to which of the following characteristics in the work of some Chicano writers?

(A) A sensitivity to and adeptness in using the spoken language
(B) A tendency to appear in national rather than regional publications
(C) A style reflecting the influence of Spanish language education
(D) A reliance on a rather formal style
(E) A capacity to appeal to a broad range of audiences

3 
 3. Which of the following best describes the function of the last two sentences of the passage (lines 11-19 This Spanish-English......demands of national publications.)?

(A) They expand on an advantage mentioned in the first sentence of the passage.
(B) They outline the consequences of a limitation discussed in the first sentence of the passage.
(C) They provide explicit examples drawn from the oral and the written works mentioned in the second sentence of the passage.
(D) They explain the causes of a phenomenon mentioned in the third sentence of the passage.
(E) They limit the applicability of a generalization made in the third sentence of the passage.

4 
 4. The passage suggests that which of the following was probably characteristic of the “national publications” ( Highlighted )?

(A) They primarily presented scholarly material of little interest to a general audience.
(B) They sometimes published articles treating controversial themes.
(C) They encouraged authors to feature local issues in articles in order to increase circulation.
(D) They included a significant number of articles by minority authors.
(E) They took a stylistically formal approach to material of interest to a general audience.

Gaurav2896 · Answer

Hi  AnirudhaS  please explain Q2.

AnirudhaS · Answer

Sure. See the question for is "according to the author..."
It is wise to go back to the passage for these types of questions, even if we remember the jist of the passages. So lets go back to part where this is encountered - 
 "Although a historical lack of access to formal Spanish-language education initially limited the opportunities of some Chicanos to hone their skills as writers of Spanish, their bilingual culture clearly fostered an exuberant and compelling oral tradition. It has thus generally been by way of the emphasis on oral literary creativity that these Chicano writers, whose English-language works are sometimes uninspired, developed the powerful and arresting language that characterized their Spanish-language works."

So minus the fluff, this statement literally tells us that Chicano writers developed their oral skills because they lacked access to language education. Hence they developed powerful and arresting language (here language still refers to oral, rather than written) per the author.

Option A just makes sense.

Lemon95 · Answer

Can someone explain Q3 please?

AnirudhaS · Answer

The line preceding says - 
 "This Spanish-English difference is not surprising." 
The following sentences just elaborate on this, i.e. why there was a difference in the quality of work when written in Spanish and English. The author says that they could maintain the flair of their oral (Spanish) skills in their writings, hence Spanish writings were good. On the other hand, since the English writings needed to satisfy the national newspapers, the same flair could not be maintained by the Chicanos.

(D) They explain the causes of a phenomenon mentioned in the third sentence of the passage.

Here the phenomenon is the Spanish-English difference in writing.

Hope this helps.

Although a historical lack of access to formal Spanish-language educat

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Although a historical lack of access to formal Spanish-language educat

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards