PT123.S4.P1.Q8

PrepTest 123 - Section 4 - Passage 1 - Question 8

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P1

For decades, there has been a deep rift between poetry and fiction in the United States, especially in academic settings; graduate writing programs in universities, for example, train students as poets or as writers of fiction, but almost never as both. …

Intro topic · Rift between worlds of poetry and fiction
Both poets and writers of fiction have tended to support this separation, in large part because the current conventional wisdom holds that poetry should be elliptical and lyrical, reflecting inner states and processes of thought or feeling, whereas character and narrative events are the stock-in-trade of fiction.

Some writers' perspective · There should be a rift
Reason: poetry and fiction emphasize different features
P2

Certainly it is true that poetry and fiction are distinct genres, but why have specialized education and literary territoriality resulted from this distinction? The answer lies perhaps in a widespread attitude in U.S. culture, which often casts a suspicious eye on the generalist. Those with knowledge and expertise in multiple areas risk charges of dilettantism, as if ability in one field is diluted or compromised by accomplishment in another.

Author's hypothesis · For why the rift really exists
Those who work in multiple fields at once are viewed as less capable or serious
P3

Fortunately, there are signs that the bias against writers who cross generic boundaries is diminishing; several recent writers are known and respected for their work in both genres. …

Change in others' perspectives · Some writers of both poetry and fiction are respected
Note author's attitude: this change is fortunate
One important example of this trend is Rita Dove, an African American writer highly acclaimed for both her poetry and her fiction. …
Example · Respected poetry/fiction writer
Rita Dove
A few years ago, speaking at a conference entitled "Poets Who Write Fiction," Dove expressed gentle incredulity about the habit of segregating the genres. She had grown up reading and loving both fiction and poetry, she said, unaware of any purported danger lurking in attempts to mix the two. She also studied for some time in Germany, where, she observes, "Poets write plays, novelists compose libretti, playwrights write novels—they would not understand our restrictiveness."

Dove's perspective · Rift between poetry and fiction is unnecessary
P4

It makes little sense, Dove believes, to persist in the restrictive approach to poetry and fiction prevalent in the U.S., because each genre shares in the nature of the other. …

Dove's perspective · There should be no rift between poetry and fiction
Builds on Dove's perspective from the previous paragraph; not only is the rift unnecessary, but it's a senseless idea
Indeed, her poetry offers example after example of what can only be properly regarded as lyric narrative. Her use of language in these poems is undeniably lyrical—that is, it evokes emotion and inner states without requiring the reader to organize ideas or events in a particular linear structure. Yet this lyric expression simultaneously presents the elements of a plot in such a way that the reader is led repeatedly to take account of clusters of narrative details within the lyric flow. Thus while the language is lyrical, it often comes to constitute, cumulatively, a work of narrative fiction. Similarly, many passages in her fiction, though undeniably prose, achieve the status of lyric narrative through the use of poetic rhythms and elliptical expression. In short, Dove bridges the gap between poetry and fiction not only by writing in both genres, but also by fusing the two genres within individual works.

Author's support for Dove's perspective · Dove blends lyrical (poetic) and narrative (fiction) elements
Passage Style
Single position
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8.

If this passage had been excerpted from a longer text, which one of the following predictions about the near future of U.S. literature would be most likely to appear in that text?

a

The number of writers who write both poetry and fiction will probably continue to grow.

Supported. If the rift is “diminishing,” that suggests in the future we’ll have even more writers who cross genre boundaries.

90%
b

Because of the increased interest in mixed genres, the small market for pure lyric poetry will likely shrink even further.

There’s no suggestion in the passage that the market for pure lyric poetry will shrink. We have no reason to think that an increase in writers who write both poetry and fiction implies less demand among consumers for pure lyric poetry.

1%
c

Narrative poetry will probably come to be regarded as a sub-genre of fiction.

We have no reason to think narrative poetry will become a sub-genre of fiction as opposed to a sub-genre of poetry.

5%
d

There will probably be a rise in specialization among writers in university writing programs.

If anything, the passage suggests the opposite will happen. As the rift diminishes, perhaps writing programs will be more open to writers who write both poetry and fiction.

2%
e

Writers who continue to work exclusively in poetry or fiction will likely lose their audiences.

Not supported, because an increase in the number of writers who write both poetry and fiction does not imply a decrease in consumer demand for writers who write only poetry.

1%

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