While a new surge of critical interest in the ancient Greek poems conv

Question

While a new surge of critical interest in the ancient Greek poems conventionally ascribed to Homer has taken place in the last twenty years or so, it was nonspecialists rather than professional scholars who studied the poetic aspects of the Iliad and the Odyssey between, roughly, 1935 and 1970. During these years, while such nonacademic intellectuals as Simone Weil and Erich Auerbach were trying to define the qualities that made these epic accounts of the Trojan War and its aftermath great poetry, the questions that occupied the specialists were directed elsewhere: “Did the Trojan War really happen?” “Does the bard preserve Indo-European folk memories?” “How did the poems get written down?” Something was driving scholars away from the actual works to peripheral issues. Scholars produced books about archaeology, about gift-exchange in ancient societies, about the development of oral poetry, about virtually anything except the Iliad and the Odyssey themselves as unique reflections or distillations of life itself—as, in short, great poetry. The observations of the English poet Alexander Pope seemed as applicable in 1970 as they had been when he wrote them in 1715: according to Pope, the remarks of critics  “are rather Philosophical, Historical, Geographic…or rather anything than Critical and Poetical.”

Ironically, the modern manifestation of this “nonpoetical” emphasis can be traced to the profoundly influential work of Milman Parry, who attempted to demonstrate in detail how the Homeric poems, believed to have been recorded nearly three thousand years ago, were the products of a long and highly developed tradition of oral poetry about the Trojan War. Parry proposed that this tradition built up its diction and its content by a process of constant accumulation and refinement over many generations of storytellers. But after Parry’s death in 1935, his legacy was taken up by scholars who, unlike Parry, forsook intensive analysis of the poetry itself and focused instead on only one element of Parry’s work: the creative limitations and possibilities of oral composition, concerning on fixed elements and inflexibilities, focusing on the things that oral poetry allegedly can and cannot do. The dryness if this kind of study drove many of the more inventive scholars away from the poems into the rapidly developing field of Homer’s archaeological and historical background.

Appropriately, Milman Parry’s son Adam was among those scholars responsible for a renewed interest in Homer’s poetry as literary art. Building on his father’s work, the younger Parry argued that the Homeric poems exist both within and against a tradition. The Iliad and the Odyssey were, Adam Parry thought, the beneficiaries of an inherited store of diction, scenes, and at the same time highly individual works that surpasses these conventions. Adam Parry helped prepare the ground for the recent Homeric revival by affirming his father’s belief in a strong inherited tradition, but also by emphasizing Homer’s unique contributions within that tradition.   1 
 C 
 Q1).Which one of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

(A) The Homeric poems are most fruitfully studied as records of the time and place in which they were written.
(B) The Homeric poems are the products of a highly developed and complicated tradition of oral poetry.
(C) The Homeric poems are currently enjoying a resurgence of critical interest after an age of scholarship largely devoted to the poems’ nonpoetic elements.
(D) The Homeric poems are currently enjoying a resurgence of scholarly interest after am age during which most studies were authored by nonacademic writers.
(E) Before Milman Parry published his pioneering work in the early twentieth century, it was difficult to assign a date or an author to the Homeric poems.

2 
 B 
 Q2). According to the passage, the work of Simone Weil and Erich Auerbach on Homer was primarily concerned with which one of the following?

(A) considerations of why criticism of Homer had moved to peripheral issues
(B) analyses of the poetry itself in terms of its literary qualities
(C) studies in the history and nature of oral poetry
(D) analyses of the already ancient epic tradition inherited by Homer
(E) critiques of the highly technical analyses of academic critics

3 
 A 
 Q3). The passage suggests which one of the following about scholarship on Homer that has appeared since 1970?

(A) It has dealt extensively with the Homeric poems as literary art.
(B) It is more incisive than the work of the Parrys.
(C) It has rejected as irrelevant the scholarship produced by specialists between 1935 and 1970.
(D) It has ignored the work of Simone Weil and Erich Auerbach.
(E) It has attempted to confirm that the Iliad and the Odyssey were written by Homer.

4 
 C 
 Q4). The author of the passage most probably quotes Alexander Pope ( Highlighted ) in order to

(A) indicate that the Homeric poems have generally received poor treatment at the hands of English critics
(B) prove that poets as well as critics have emphasized elements peripheral to the poems
(C) illustrate that the nonpoetical emphasis also existed in an earlier century
(D) emphasize the problems inherent in rendering classical Greek poetry into modern English
(E) argue that poets and literary critics have seldom agreed the interpretation of poetry

5 
 D 
 Q5). According to the passage, which one of the following is true of Milman Parry’s immediate successors in the field of Homeric studies?

(A) They reconciled Homer’s poetry with archaeological and historical concerns.
(B) They acknowledged the tradition of oral poetry, but focused on the uniqueness of Homer’s poetry within the tradition.
(C) They occupied themselves with the question of what qualities made for great poetry.
(D) They emphasized the boundaries of oral poetry.
(E) They called for a revival of Homer’s popularity.

6 
 A 
 Q6). Which one of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

(A) A situation is identified and its origins are examines.
(B) A series of hypotheses is reviewed and one is advocated.
(C) The works of two influential scholars are summarized.
(D) Several issues contributing to a currently debate are summarized.
(E) Three possible solutions to a long-standing problem are posed.

Source:   LSAT Official PrepTest 25   
 Difficulty Level:   700

Gladiator59 · Accepted Answer

Taxing passage. Got four out of six in 6 mins 39 sec.

Here are my explanations.

Main point question. Need to understand the flow of ideas presented by the author.
Q1).Which one of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

(A) The Homeric poems are most fruitfully studied as records of the time and place in which they were written. Too detailed and opposite of what the author is trying to convey
(B) The Homeric poems are the products of a highly developed and complicated tradition of oral poetry. True but too detailed to be the main point
(C) The Homeric poems are currently enjoying a resurgence of critical interest after an age of scholarship largely devoted to the poems’ nonpoetic elements. BINGO - precisely the main point as can be seen in the last paragraph - Parry Jr. efforts have left to a resurgence of studying Homeric texts in a literary and poetic manner vs. historical & facts based
(D) The Homeric poems are currently enjoying a resurgence of scholarly interest after am age during which most studies were authored by nonacademic writers. TRAP - first few words are what we are looking for but this is not the main point
(E) Before Milman Parry published his pioneering work in the early twentieth century, it was difficult to assign a date or an author to the Homeric poems. BS Option

Detail question - need to locate the two mentioned critics in the first para
Q2). According to the passage, the work of Simone Weil and Erich Auerbach on Homer was primarily concerned with which one of the following?

(A) considerations of why criticism of Homer had moved to peripheral issues WRONG - this is not true
(B) analyses of the poetry itself in terms of its literary qualities BINGO - the author mentions that only non specialists were looking at Homeric poems the right way ( i.e in a poetic way)
(C) studies in the history and nature of oral poetry Nah! This is not mentioned in first para
(D) analyses of the already ancient epic tradition inherited by Homer Irrelevant to the question
(E) critiques of the highly technical analyses of academic critics BS Option

Detail question but the location of the answer is tricky = refer to the first line of the passage to find it
Q3). The passage suggests which one of the following about scholarship on Homer that has appeared since 1970?
(A) It has dealt extensively with the Homeric poems as literary art. BINGO - this is the resurgence that is being talked about in the passage
(B) It is more incisive than the work of the Parrys. Nope - this is not true
(C) It has rejected as irrelevant the scholarship produced by specialists between 1935 and 1970. Too strong verbiage - "Has rejected as irrelevant" needs to be discarded
(D) It has ignored the work of Simone Weil and Erich Auerbach. BS Option - this is not at all the case as those two nonspecialists were doing the right thing before the specialists caught on
(E) It has attempted to confirm that the Iliad and the Odyssey were written by Homer. Never a point of contention , so another BS Option

Another detail question but the options are tricky!
Q4). The author of the passage most probably quotes Alexander Pope (lines 24-26) in order to
(A) indicate that the Homeric poems have generally received poor treatment at the hands of English critics TRAP - this is very close to what we are looking for but I guess the "English critics" ,akes this wrong
(B) prove that poets as well as critics have emphasized elements peripheral to the poems "Prove" is too strong a verbiage, Mr. Pope does no such thing
(C) illustrate that the nonpoetical emphasis also existed in an earlier century BINGO - the crux of why the author quotes Alexander Pope is to show that what was valid in 1715 was valid up until 1970
(D) emphasize the problems inherent in rendering classical Greek poetry into modern English Rendering what? BS Option likely
(E) argue that poets and literary critics have seldom agreed the interpretation of poetry Nope, no such agreement between poets and critics is discussed

Detail question - again tricky only because of the options. Found in the final paragraph of the passage
Q5). According to the passage, which one of the following is true of Milman Parry’s immediate successors in the field of Homeric studies?
(A) They reconciled Homer’s poetry with archaeological and historical concerns. HOLD Wrong because this is what the latter succesors did but not the immediate ones BIG TRAP
(B) They acknowledged the tradition of oral poetry, but focused on the uniqueness of Homer’s poetry within the tradition. Opposite, this is exactly what they did not do and what they ought to have done
(C) They occupied themselves with the question of what qualities made for great poetry. Opposite - same as above
(D) They emphasized the boundaries of oral poetry. Bingo - this is explicitly mentioned in paragraph two
(E) They called for a revival of Homer’s popularity. BS option

Structure - summary ind of question. An understanding of the main point is essential to answer this
Q6). Which one of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
(A) A situation is identified and its origins are examines. HOLD Why is this correct? The first line of the passage introduces a situation of resurgence and then the origin of that is discussed. Perfect!
(B) A series of hypotheses is reviewed and one is advocated. No hypothesis is advocated, this is a merely descriptive passage without a conclusion by the author
(C) The works of two influential scholars are summarized. Nah - there are no two focus authors in the passage
(D) Several issues contributing to a currently debate are summarized. Is this a current debate? Don't think so. Wrong.
(E) Three possible solutions to a long-standing problem are posed. BS Option. Three solutions? Discard

verdict - GOod passage with some tricks mostly in the options.

Regards,
Gladi

Regards, Gladi

jawele · Answer

This passage took quite a while ... I found the following questions the hardest.

Q3). The passage suggests which one of the following about scholarship on Homer that has appeared since 1970?
(A) It has dealt extensively with the Homeric poems as literary art. correct: While a new surge of critical interest in the ancient Greek poems conventionally ascribed to Homer has taken place in the last twenty years or so, it was nonspecialists rather than professional scholars who studied <...> , roughly, 1935 and 1970 <...> - these lines suffice to support this option
(B) It is more incisive than the work of the Parrys. no such comparison is given
(C) It has rejected as irrelevant the scholarship produced by specialists between 1935 and 1970. on the contrary, the passage says that "Adam Parry helped prepare the ground for the recent Homeric revival by affirming his father’s belief in a strong inherited tradition <...>
(D) It has ignored the work of Simone Weil and Erich Auerbach. uncertain, but it is more likely that they were not as these two fellows studied the ancient Greek poems in way to explore what made them good art
(E) It has attempted to confirm that the Iliad and the Odyssey were written by Homer. the question of "who" is not a subject of passage

Q4). The author of the passage most probably quotes Alexander Pope (lines 24-26) in order to
Relevant text: Something was driving scholars away from the actual works to peripheral issues. <...> The observations of the English poet Alexander Pope seemed as applicable in 1970 as they had been when he wrote them in 1715: <..>”
(A) indicate that the Homeric poems have generally received poor treatment at the hands of English critics uncertain: the critics may have not been the same scholars in question; also, the treatment itself sounds ambiguous as the scholars focused on peripheral issues rather than on aspects that would lend support to judge the quality of work
(B) prove that poets as well as critics have emphasized elements peripheral to the poems too strong
(C) illustrate that the nonpoetical emphasis also existed in an earlier century correct: probably not the most obvious choice, but the one that can be considered true after the elimination of the other options
(D) emphasize the problems inherent in rendering classical Greek poetry into modern English I doubt that the timeline is even appropriate to suggest this
(E) argue that poets and literary critics have seldom agreed the interpretation of poetry

Q5). According to the passage, which one of the following is true of Milman Parry’s immediate successors in the field of Homeric studies?
Relevant text: But after Parry’s death in 1935, his legacy was taken up by scholars who, unlike Parry, forsook intensive analysis of the poetry itself and focused instead on only one element of Parry’s work: the creative limitations and possibilities of oral composition, concerning on fixed elements and inflexibilities, focusing on the things that oral poetry allegedly can and cannot do
(A) They reconciled Homer’s poetry with archaeological and historical concerns. the same issue as in B and C
(B) They acknowledged the tradition of oral poetry, but focused on the uniqueness of Homer’s poetry within the tradition. no, they focused on poetry as a subject in abstract terms
(C) They occupied themselves with the question of what qualities made for great poetry. no, they simply focused on the abstract - poetry as a subject itself
(D) They emphasized the boundaries of oral poetry. correct
(E) They called for a revival of Homer’s popularity.

Q6). Which one of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
Relevant text: While a new surge of critical interest in the ancient Greek poems conventionally ascribed to Homer has taken place in the last twenty years or so, it was nonspecialists rather than professional scholars who studied the poetic aspects of the Iliad and the Odyssey between, roughly, 1935 and 1970. <..> [ pre-1935 ] But after Parry’s death in 1935, [post 1935 to 1970 ] his legacy was taken up by scholars who, unlike Parry, forsook intensive analysis of the poetry itself and focused instead on only one element of Parry’s work <...> [ current ] Milman Parry’s son Adam was among those scholars responsible for a renewed interest in Homer’s poetry as literary art <...>”
(A) A situation is identified and its origins are examines. correct
(B) A series of hypotheses is reviewed and one is advocated.
(C) The works of two influential scholars are summarized.
(D) Several issues contributing to a currently debate are summarized.
(E) Three possible solutions to a long-standing problem are posed.

auradediligodo · Answer

Hi everyone,
Got 5/6 correct in 13:30 minutes, including 5:30 minutes to read and 8 minutes to answer the questions.

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P1

In this paragraph the author starts with presenting a situation about the Homeric poems: while non specialists focused on the poetic aspects, specialists focused on side aspects. Lastly the author gives us the idea that such situation was typical of also some centuries ago.

Purpose:   to present a situation about Homeric poems, describing the attitudes of specialists and non specialists.

P2

In this paragraph the author traces the origins of the focus on peripheral topics. Such origins are linked with the work of Millman Parry, who focused on the poetry. However scholars after him focused on a very  dry  element of MP's studies and subsequently the following scholars were brought to focus on archaeological and historical background.

Purpose:   to link the focus of peripheral issues about the Homeric poems with Milmman Parry.

P3

In the last paragraph the author discusses Millman Parry's son view on the topic. According to Adam, the Homeric poems were both the result of tradition and the individual contribution of Homer.

Purpose:   to present Adam Parry's point of view

Main point

To discuss the focus of different scholars on the Homeric poems, tracing the origins of such focus.

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Q1).Which one of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

Pre-thinking

Main point question

To discuss the focus of different scholars on the Homeric poems, tracing the origins of such focus.

(A)  The Homeric poems are most fruitfully studied as records of the time and place in which they were written. 
(B) The Homeric poems are the products of a highly developed and complicated tradition of oral poetry.  Partial scope 
  (C)   The Homeric poems are currently enjoying a resurgence of critical interest after an age of scholarship largely devoted to the poems’ nonpoetic elements. correct and broad enough 
(D) The Homeric poems are currently enjoying a resurgence of scholarly interest after am age during which most studies were authored by nonacademic writers. the problem here is with "most studies were authored". No such information is given in the passage 
(E) Before Milman Parry published his pioneering work in the early twentieth century , it was difficult to assign a date or an author to the Homeric poems.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q2). According to the passage, the work of Simone Weil and Erich Auerbach on Homer was primarily concerned with which one of the following?

Pre-thinking

Detail question

From P1:   while such nonacademic intellectuals as Simone Weil and Erich Auerbach were trying to define the qualities that made these epic accounts of the Trojan War and its aftermath great poetry,

(A) considerations of why criticism of Homer had moved to peripheral issues
  (B)   analyses of the poetry itself in terms of its literary qualities
(C) studies in the history and nature of oral poetry
(D) analyses of the already ancient epic tradition inherited by Homer
(E) critiques of the highly technical analyses of academic critics

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q3). The passage suggests which one of the following about scholarship on Homer that has appeared since 1970?

Pre-thinking

Inference question

From P1:   While a new surge of critical interest in the ancient Greek poems conventionally ascribed to Homer has taken place in the last twenty years or so,

We can infer that the focus was on poetry.

(A)   It has dealt extensively with the Homeric poems as literary art.
(B) It is more incisive than the work of the Parrys. Cannot be inferred 
(C) It has rejected as irrelevant the scholarship produced by specialists between 1935 and 1970. Cannot be inferred 
(D) It has ignored the work of Simone Weil and Erich Auerbach. Cannot be inferred 
(E) It has attempted to confirm that the Iliad and the Odyssey were written by Homer. Cannot be inferred

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q4). The author of the passage most probably quotes Alexander Pope (lines 24-26) in order to

Pre-thinking

Function question

Stress a similarity between the 2 ages

(A) indicate that the Homeric poems have generally received poor treatment at the hands of English critics
(B) prove that poets as well as critics have emphasized elements peripheral to the poems
  (C)   illustrate that the nonpoetical emphasis also existed in an earlier century
(D) emphasize the problems inherent in rendering classical Greek poetry into modern English
(E) argue that poets and literary critics have seldom agreed the interpretation of poetry

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q5). According to the passage, which one of the following is true of Milman Parry’s immediate successors in the field of Homeric studies?

Pre-thinking

Detail question

From P2:   But after Parry’s death in 1935, his legacy was taken up by scholars who, unlike Parry, forsook intensive analysis of the poetry itself and focused instead on only one element of Parry’s work: the creative limitations and possibilities of oral composition, concerning on fixed elements and inflexibilities,  focusing on the things that oral poetry allegedly can and cannot do.

(A) They reconciled Homer’s poetry with archaeological and historical concerns.
(B) They acknowledged the tradition of oral poetry, but focused on the uniqueness of Homer’s poetry within the tradition.
(C) They occupied themselves with the question of what qualities made for great poetry.
  (D)   They emphasized the boundaries of oral poetry.
(E) They called for a revival of Homer’s popularity.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q6). Which one of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

Pre-thinking

Structure question

A phenomenon is presented (focus on peripheral issues of Homeric poems)----> its origins are traced -------> a new trend is identified (Adam's point of view)

(A)   A situation is identified and its origins are examined. correct  
(B) A series of hypotheses is reviewed and one is advocated. no hypothesis are mentioned 
(C) The works of two influential scholars are summarized.  this option misses a lot of information 
(D) Several issues contributing to a currently debate are summarized. there is no debate  
(E) Three possible solutions to a long-standing problem are posed. no solution is mentioned

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It's a great day to be alive!

ricardorr04 · Answer

13 minutes all in (~2:10 mins per question, not a good average but think the passage is way lengthier than what would appear on a gmat test.

got 6/6 - thorough understanding of the passage allowed me to identify which answer choices were OOS in order to get to the right answers.

Is there a breakdown of these questions by difficulty level?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Here is my rough idea about the difficulty levels of each question. Question #1: 600 Question #2: 600 Question #3: 650-700 Question #4: 700 Question #5: 700 Question #6: 650-700 Best of Luck

shauryahanda · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994 ,  GMATNinja

I believe the answer for q4 should be option B

Pre-Thinking: Alexander Pope's statement has been used to strengthen the belief that Scholars paid attention to peripherals of the poetry than actual poetry.

This meaning is very different from option C - There existed peripheral views as well. While option C is True, I do not think it is the purpose of using the statement.

Could you please provide me with an explanation or OA to help.

Really Appreciate your support, 
Thanks in Advance.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

When we see a line reference we should reread for context, starting a little before the quote to make sure we don’t miss anything. By line  "Odyssey themselves as unique reflections or distillations of life itself—as, in short, great poetry." , the author has just commented that critics from 1935-1970 seem to concern themselves with everything except poetry.

Then lines

"Odyssey themselves as unique reflections or distillations of life itself—as, in short, great poetry. The observations of the English poet Alexander Pope seemed as applicable in 1970 as they had been when he wrote them in 1715: according to Pope, the remarks of critics “are rather Philosophical, Historical, Geographical . . . or rather anything than Critical and Poetical.”"

explain that Pope’s views of critics, which are similar to the author’s views, seem as on point now as they were then. So Pope is quoted to show that critics from other eras concerned themselves with nonpoetical issues,  choice (C).

Pope wasn’t an example of someone focusing on nonpoetical elements. Rather, Pope was commenting on the process of criticism, which would make him a critic of the critics, so to speak. Hence  (B)  is incorrect answer.

Mentis678 · Answer

Could anyone please explain Q3? Here people are referring to the first line of the passage but we don't know when the article was written, right? If the article was written in 2020, 20 years ago is only 2000. So with this we cant infer with this what was the scenario between 1970-2000.

Please help Sajjad1994 or anyone else.

Please help  Sajjad1994  or anyone else.

While a new surge of critical interest in the ancient Greek poems conv

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While a new surge of critical interest in the ancient Greek poems conv

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