A large number of famous poets in literary history have died under the

Question

A large number of famous poets in literary history have died under the age of 40—Burns, Byron, Keats, Poe, and Shelley, to name a few. By contrast, the large majority of famous painters in art history lived well beyond the age of 40. This difference between famous poets and famous painters is most likely because __________.

Which of the following, if true, most logically completes the argument?

(A) most common problems with the human eye develop only after the age of 40.

(B) the appreciation for both poetry and fine painting tends to mature and develop later in life.

(C) writing poetry draw on both the right and left cerebral hemispheres, while painting is almost completely a right hemispheric process.

(D) many famous classical composers, such Schubert, also died before reaching the age of 40, and Schubert often set poetry to music in his songs.

(E) poets can write poems that establish their fame while they are young, while painters typically gain fame only as they age.

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ribbons · Answer

Required to find conclusion

Poets die before 40 whereas painters live long after 40 because...

(A) most common problems with the human eye develop only after the age of 40.  out of scope, we are not implying eye problems create great painters

(B) the appreciation for both poetry and fine painting tends to mature and develop later in life.  goes against the text bc text says poets are young

(C) writing poetry draw on both the right and left cerebral hemispheres, while painting is almost completely a right hemispheric process.  irrelevant, draws on knowledge not present in text

(D) many famous classical composers, such Schubert, also died before reaching the age of 40, and Schubert often set poetry to music in his songs.  this is not a conclusion at all and this repeats the idea of the text somewhat without any insight

(E) poets can write poems that establish their fame while they are young, while painters typically gain fame only as they age.     could be that painters get fame because of age hence young painters that die early will never be famous.   correct

Nikhil17bhatt · Answer

IMO E

o determine which option most logically completes the argument, we need to find the statement that best explains why a large number of famous poets have died under the age of 40, while the large majority of famous painters have lived well beyond that age.

Let's analyze each option:

(A) Most common problems with the human eye develop only after the age of 40.

This option suggests that painters might face problems with their vision after 40, but it does not explain why poets die younger. It is not directly relevant to the argument.
(B) The appreciation for both poetry and fine painting tends to mature and develop later in life.

This option suggests that appreciation for both arts matures later, but it does not explain the difference in the ages at which poets and painters achieve fame or why poets die younger.
(C) Writing poetry draws on both the right and left cerebral hemispheres, while painting is almost completely a right hemispheric process.

This option discusses the cognitive processes involved in poetry and painting but does not explain why poets die younger or why painters live longer.
(D) Many famous classical composers, such as Schubert, also died before reaching the age of 40, and Schubert often set poetry to music in his songs.

This option introduces information about composers but does not provide a reason for the difference in lifespans between poets and painters.
(E) Poets can write poems that establish their fame while they are young, while painters typically gain fame only as they age.

This option directly addresses the difference in the ages at which poets and painters achieve fame. It suggests that poets can achieve fame at a younger age, which might explain why many famous poets are noted to have died young, whereas painters typically gain fame later in life, which might correlate with their longer lifespans.
Given the analysis, the most logical option that completes the argument is:

(E) Poets can write poems that establish their fame while they are young, while painters typically gain fame only as they age.

This option provides a plausible explanation for the observed difference in the ages at which famous poets and painters tend to die, aligning with the information given in the argument.

Abdelaali91 · Answer

(A) most common problems with the human eye develop only after the age of 40. 
 The argument does not mention nor imply anything about the human eye.

(B) the appreciation for both poetry and fine painting tends to mature and develop later in life. 
 This answer choice is in contracts with the first portion of the argument; the part which pertains to poets
 
 (C) writing poetry draw on both the right and left cerebral hemispheres, while painting is almost completely a right hemispheric process. 
 Same as A.
 
 (D) many famous classical composers, such Schubert, also died before reaching the age of 40, and Schubert often set poetry to music in his songs. 
 Irrelevant.
 
 (E) poets can write poems that establish their fame while they are young, while painters typically gain fame only as they age. 
 Yes. this fits in with the passage. It gives an explanation to the observed situation: poets can write great poetry that makes them famous when they're still young, but painters only gain fame as they get older. Hence, the majority of famous painters who we know of are seniors.

Krunaal · Answer

A. This option discusses eye problems developing after 40, which may affect painters. However, it doesn't explain why famous poets tend to die young or why there is a difference between the two groups. Incorrect because it only addresses a potential issue for painters, without linking it to the poets' early deaths.  INCORRECT

B. This choice talks about appreciation for the arts maturing later in life, but it doesn't directly explain why poets die younger while painters live longer. The focus of the argument is on the artists themselves, not the audience's appreciation. Incorrect because it is irrelevant to the early deaths of poets.  INCORRECT

C. This option introduces a neurological distinction between poetry and painting, but it doesn't explain why poets would die younger as a result. There's no direct link between brain hemisphere activity and lifespan. Incorrect because it fails to connect the neurological processes to the difference in longevity.  INCORRECT

D. While it points out that composers like Schubert also died young, it doesn't explain why poets and painters differ in lifespan. This is just another example of an artist dying young, but it doesn't provide a reason for the contrast between poets and painters. Incorrect because it doesn't directly address the distinction between the two groups in question.  INCORRECT

E. This option provides an explanation for the difference in longevity. It suggests that poets can achieve fame earlier in life, meaning that many famous poets were already well-known by the time they died young. Painters, on the other hand, often gain fame later in life, which may explain why more of them live beyond 40. Correct because it logically accounts for the observed difference in the lifespans of famous poets and painters.  CORRECT

Bunuel · Answer

Official Explanation

The credited answer is (E). The issue is not about life-expectancy of various artistic pursuits, but about who gets famous when. Among both poets and painters, some die young and some live to be old. The poets who die young are already famous, but the painters who die young haven't established their fame yet, so we wind up knowing poets who died young but not painters who died young.

If eye-problems develop after the age of 40, that would suggest problems for an older painter more so than for poets, but that wouldn't explain why we know older painters. Choice (A) is incorrect.

Choice (B) is more about the fans of poetry & painting, not the folks producing the poems or the paintings. Furthermore, something that is the same for both doesn't explain a difference. Choice (B) is incorrect.

Using different hemispheres of the brain has nothing to do with life-expectancy, so while interesting, choice (C) is irrelevant and incorrect.

Choice (D), while interesting, is entirely irrelevant, and adds no insight into what was originally discussed in the prompt.

Choice (D) is incorrect.

A large number of famous poets in literary history have died under the

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A large number of famous poets in literary history have died under the

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