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27 Oct 2022, 01:30
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Difficulty:
95%
(hard)
Question Stats:
47% (02:01) correct
53%
(02:12)
wrong
based on 566
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Folklorist: Oral traditions are often preferable to written ones. Exclusive dependence on speech improves the memory; literate populations grow sluggish in recall, running to written sources whenever they need information. Because writing has no limits, it can proliferate to the point where writer and reader both
become confused. Since oral traditions are dependent on memory, what is useless and irrelevant is quickly eradicated.
Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the folklorist’s argumentation?
(A) Accuracy in communication breeds mental self-reliance.
(B) Literate populations need to make efforts to communicate efficiently.
(C) Tradition is of greater value than accumulation of knowledge.
(D) Economy of expression is to be preferred over verbosity.
(E) Ideas that cannot be discussed clearly should not be discussed at all.
become confused. Since oral traditions are dependent on memory, what is useless and irrelevant is quickly eradicated.
Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the folklorist’s argumentation?
(A) Accuracy in communication breeds mental self-reliance.
(B) Literate populations need to make efforts to communicate efficiently.
(C) Tradition is of greater value than accumulation of knowledge.
(D) Economy of expression is to be preferred over verbosity.
(E) Ideas that cannot be discussed clearly should not be discussed at all.
wadhwakaran
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Schools: INSEAD Aug'24 intake Oxford Said'25 Judge '25 Imperial'25 HEC Sep'24 Intake LBS '26 ISB '27
GMAT 1: 700 Q50 V35
Posts: 260
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28 Oct 2022, 02:59
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Dependence on speech improves memory. Oral traditions are dependent on memory. Irrelevant and useless things are quickly eradicated.
Literate populations become bad at recalling events and they refer back to written sources. Written sources are so vast that they confuse both writer and reader.
Conclusion: Oral traditions are preferable to written ones. Oral traditions contain limited information contrary to the written ones, meaning thereby that concision is preferable to verbosity.
(A) Accuracy in communication breeds mental self-reliance. Irrelevant to the argument as accuracy in communication is nowhere discussed.
(B) Literate populations need to make efforts to communicate efficiently. Efficient communication is not the point of the argument. therefore, incorrect
(C) Tradition is of greater value than accumulation of knowledge. Out of scope
(D) Economy of expression is to be preferred over verbosity. Yes in line with prethinking.
(E) Ideas that cannot be discussed clearly should not be discussed at all.
Literate populations become bad at recalling events and they refer back to written sources. Written sources are so vast that they confuse both writer and reader.
Conclusion: Oral traditions are preferable to written ones. Oral traditions contain limited information contrary to the written ones, meaning thereby that concision is preferable to verbosity.
(A) Accuracy in communication breeds mental self-reliance. Irrelevant to the argument as accuracy in communication is nowhere discussed.
(B) Literate populations need to make efforts to communicate efficiently. Efficient communication is not the point of the argument. therefore, incorrect
(C) Tradition is of greater value than accumulation of knowledge. Out of scope
(D) Economy of expression is to be preferred over verbosity. Yes in line with prethinking.
(E) Ideas that cannot be discussed clearly should not be discussed at all.
31 Jul 2024, 03:27
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The Folklorist's ArgumentThe folklorist primarily argues that oral traditions are superior to written ones because they foster better memory, eliminate unnecessary information, and prevent confusion. The underlying idea is that the limitations of oral transmission force a kind of efficiency and clarity.
Evaluating the Answer Choices
A) Accuracy in communication breeds mental self-reliance. While related, this doesn't directly address the core of the argument, which is about the efficiency of oral vs. written tradition.
B) Literate populations need to make efforts to communicate efficiently. This is more about the problem with written tradition than the benefits of oral tradition.
C) Tradition is of greater value than accumulation of knowledge. This is a broad statement that doesn't specifically support the argument about oral vs. written traditions.
D) Economy of expression is to be preferred over verbosity. This directly supports the folklorist's argument by emphasizing the value of brevity and clarity, which are inherent in oral traditions due to memory constraints.
E) Ideas that cannot be discussed clearly should not be discussed at all. While related to clarity, this is a much stronger and broader statement than the argument requires.
Evaluating the Answer Choices
A) Accuracy in communication breeds mental self-reliance. While related, this doesn't directly address the core of the argument, which is about the efficiency of oral vs. written tradition.
B) Literate populations need to make efforts to communicate efficiently. This is more about the problem with written tradition than the benefits of oral tradition.
C) Tradition is of greater value than accumulation of knowledge. This is a broad statement that doesn't specifically support the argument about oral vs. written traditions.
D) Economy of expression is to be preferred over verbosity. This directly supports the folklorist's argument by emphasizing the value of brevity and clarity, which are inherent in oral traditions due to memory constraints.
E) Ideas that cannot be discussed clearly should not be discussed at all. While related to clarity, this is a much stronger and broader statement than the argument requires.
