PT101.S4.P1.Q3

PrepTest 101 - Section 4 - Passage 1 - Question 3

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P1

Wherever the crime novels of P. D. James are discussed by critics, there is a tendency on the one hand to exaggerate her merits and on the other to castigate her as a genre writer who is getting above herself. ███

Intro Topic · Disagreement over James' novels
Some exaggerate her merits; others castigate her as merely a genre writer
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Author's Comment · Perhaps disagreement arises from an unnecessary tension in fiction
P2

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Supporter · Elevate James' to high literature
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Critics · Find her pretentious and tiresome
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Example of Critics · Waugh and Oakes
P3

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Author as Supporter · Good writing; convincing characters; pleasurable descriptions
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Author as Critic · Distracting; thin plot devices; misplaced interests
P4

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Author's Explanation · James feels constrained by the crime-novel genre
Recommends that James move beyond it and into the mainstream novel.
Passage Style
Critique or debate
Show answer
3.

The second paragraph serves primarily ██

a

propose an alternative ██ ███ ███████ ████████ █████████ ███████

This might describe P3 and P4, in which the passage author gives his own opinion on James’s writing, but it doesn’t describe P2. In P2, the author simply presents two opposing opinions: those in support of James’s novels and those that criticize.

5%
b

present previously mentioned █████████ ██ ███████ ██████

The previously mentioned positions are the praise and criticism of James’s novels as introduced in P1. P2 then fleshes out those views with details on what, exactly, people do and don’t like about James’s novels.

78%
c

contradict an assertion █████ ██████████

The content of P2 doesn’t contradict anything else in the passage. It’s fully consistent with the previous assertions made in P1: there is a debate over James’s work, with some critics praising her writing and others criticizing her for straying from the conventions of crime novels.

2%
d

introduce a controversial ██████████████

P2 presents conflicting views, but the passage author doesn’t suggest that any of them are controversial. Some of them simply are positive, others negative.

7%
e

analyze a dilemma ██ ███████ █████

Don’t confuse “disagreement” with “dilemma.” A dilemma is a problem that requires a difficult decision to solve. The passage author doesn’t present the disagreement between critics as a problem. He also doesn’t analyze those views—he simply presents them as they are, without offering any of his own commentary. (B) describes this better.

8%

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