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17 May 2023, 01:20
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Question 1
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
25%
(medium)
Question Stats:
77% (02:33) correct
23%
(02:33) wrong
based on 113
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 2
E
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:
24% (01:14) correct 76%
(01:26) wrong
based on 103
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
A novel that is a bestseller is often, because of its popularity, not taken seriously as literature. Critics seem to presuppose that great literature must be somehow burdensome to the reader; it must be difficult for the uninitiated to understand. It is precisely this inverted snobbery that has hindered Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits from gaining the critical attention it deserves.
Published in 1982, the novel draws deeply on the author’s own family history. Allende is the first cousin once removed of former Chilean president Salvador Allende, who was murdered during a right-wing military coup in 1973. Yet rather than the to-be-expected socialist harangue, Allende subtly works her political message within the fabric of the compelling narrative she weaves. While Allende borrows a bit too freely from Gabriel García Márquez’s work, she nevertheless has a powerful and original voice within the construct of magical realism.
Published in 1982, the novel draws deeply on the author’s own family history. Allende is the first cousin once removed of former Chilean president Salvador Allende, who was murdered during a right-wing military coup in 1973. Yet rather than the to-be-expected socialist harangue, Allende subtly works her political message within the fabric of the compelling narrative she weaves. While Allende borrows a bit too freely from Gabriel García Márquez’s work, she nevertheless has a powerful and original voice within the construct of magical realism.
The author of the passage would probably consider which of the following situations to be most analogous to the critics’ viewpoint as it is described in the highlighted sentence?
A. Avant-garde movies with complicated storylines are deemed cinematically superior works to Hollywood blockbusters with straightforward narratives.
B. Scientific journals are thought of as providing coverage of natural events that is inferior to that provided by nature documentaries.
C. Poetry is considered superior literature to prose because it is shorter, and therefore the message it conveys is more easily understood.
D. Political diatribes are viewed as falling outside the accepted literary canon because they are too controversial.
E. A movie version of a popular novel is considered artistically superior to the original.
It can be inferred from the passage that
A. Allende’s novel is a retelling of her family’s political struggles
B. Allende’s novel would have received more favorable reviews if critics had believed it to be great literature
C. Allende learned about magical realism from Gabriel García Márquez
D. Allende’s novel could have been more compelling if she had included a stronger political message
E. readers might have expected Allende’s work to be more political than it actually was
20 May 2023, 05:00
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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #1
The question asks what the author of the passage considers to be most analogous, which is an indication that this is a type of specific purpose question. The subject of the question is the highlighted passage, which states that critics seem to presuppose that great literature must be somehow burdensome to the reader; it must be difficult for the uninitiated to understand. The task of the question is to determine which of the answer choices is most analogous to this viewpoint. In order to answer this question, evaluate the answer choices individually, looking for viewpoints or situations that are similar to the highlighted text.
Choice (A): Correct. This choice mimics the viewpoint of the critics in the passage that they believe great literature must be burdensome to the uninitiated by drawing a comparison to how avant-garde movies with complicated storylines are seen in relationship to Hollywood blockbusters with straightforward narrative.
Choice (B): No. The choice contains the memory trap inferior, which is reminiscent of the passage’s claims about the beliefs of critics of great literature. However, this choice does not consider the difficulty the uninitiated may face when considering the contents of the journal and documentaries, so it is out of scope.
Choice (C): No. This choice discusses that poetry is considered superior to prose not because it is burdensome, as is outlined in the passage, but because it is shorter. The critics from the passage make no mention of the length of the literature, so this choice is out of scope.
Choice (D): No. The choice uses the extreme language too controversial which is a comparison tool that is not employed by the passage, which instead uses as a comparison tool the difficulty the uninitiated have understanding the literature as a prerequisite for success. Choice (E): No. The inclusion of the phrase artistically superior makes this choice out of scope. The passage is not concerned with artistic value.
The correct answer is (A).
The question asks what the author of the passage considers to be most analogous, which is an indication that this is a type of specific purpose question. The subject of the question is the highlighted passage, which states that critics seem to presuppose that great literature must be somehow burdensome to the reader; it must be difficult for the uninitiated to understand. The task of the question is to determine which of the answer choices is most analogous to this viewpoint. In order to answer this question, evaluate the answer choices individually, looking for viewpoints or situations that are similar to the highlighted text.
Choice (A): Correct. This choice mimics the viewpoint of the critics in the passage that they believe great literature must be burdensome to the uninitiated by drawing a comparison to how avant-garde movies with complicated storylines are seen in relationship to Hollywood blockbusters with straightforward narrative.
Choice (B): No. The choice contains the memory trap inferior, which is reminiscent of the passage’s claims about the beliefs of critics of great literature. However, this choice does not consider the difficulty the uninitiated may face when considering the contents of the journal and documentaries, so it is out of scope.
Choice (C): No. This choice discusses that poetry is considered superior to prose not because it is burdensome, as is outlined in the passage, but because it is shorter. The critics from the passage make no mention of the length of the literature, so this choice is out of scope.
Choice (D): No. The choice uses the extreme language too controversial which is a comparison tool that is not employed by the passage, which instead uses as a comparison tool the difficulty the uninitiated have understanding the literature as a prerequisite for success. Choice (E): No. The inclusion of the phrase artistically superior makes this choice out of scope. The passage is not concerned with artistic value.
The correct answer is (A).
20 May 2023, 05:00
Kudos
Bookmarks
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #2
The phrase can be inferred indicates that this is an Inference question. The subject of the question is the passage. The task of the question is to determine what can be supported from the passage. In order to answer the question, evaluate the answer choices, eliminating any which cannot be supported by the text.
Choice (A): No. While the passage states that Allende’s novel draws deeply on the author’s own family history, it does not state that the novel is a retelling of her family’s political struggles. This choice is a memory trap.
Choice (B): No. While the passage states that the critics’ viewpoint prevented Allende’s novel from gaining the critical attention it deserves, and discusses what critics expect from great literature, it does not indicate how critics treat great literature. This choice is too extreme to be supported.
Choice (C): No. While the passage states that Allende borrows…from Gabriel Garcia Marquez and that she is a power voice in magical realism, it does not indicate that Allende learned about magical realism from Marquez. This answer choice is too extreme to be supported.
Choice (D): No. The passage indicates that the political message of Allende’s novel was included subtly, and that this was not to-be-expected, but it does not indicate that a clearer political message would have pleased critics. This choice is too extreme to be supported.
Choice (E): Correct. The passage states that, rather than the to-be-expected socialist harangue, Allende subtly worked her political message within the fabric of her narrative. This agrees with the idea that the novel’s political message would have been expected to be stronger than it actually was.
The correct answer is (E).
The phrase can be inferred indicates that this is an Inference question. The subject of the question is the passage. The task of the question is to determine what can be supported from the passage. In order to answer the question, evaluate the answer choices, eliminating any which cannot be supported by the text.
Choice (A): No. While the passage states that Allende’s novel draws deeply on the author’s own family history, it does not state that the novel is a retelling of her family’s political struggles. This choice is a memory trap.
Choice (B): No. While the passage states that the critics’ viewpoint prevented Allende’s novel from gaining the critical attention it deserves, and discusses what critics expect from great literature, it does not indicate how critics treat great literature. This choice is too extreme to be supported.
Choice (C): No. While the passage states that Allende borrows…from Gabriel Garcia Marquez and that she is a power voice in magical realism, it does not indicate that Allende learned about magical realism from Marquez. This answer choice is too extreme to be supported.
Choice (D): No. The passage indicates that the political message of Allende’s novel was included subtly, and that this was not to-be-expected, but it does not indicate that a clearer political message would have pleased critics. This choice is too extreme to be supported.
Choice (E): Correct. The passage states that, rather than the to-be-expected socialist harangue, Allende subtly worked her political message within the fabric of her narrative. This agrees with the idea that the novel’s political message would have been expected to be stronger than it actually was.
The correct answer is (E).
