PT101.S4.P1.Q5

PrepTest 101 - Section 4 - Passage 1 - Question 5

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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
5.

The passage suggests that both █████ ███ █████ ████████ ███████ ██████ ██ ████

a

too much material ████ ██ ██████████ ██ ███ ████████ ██ ███ █████

Strongly supported. Waugh and Oakes both express impatience with James’s writing style, complaining that the solution of the crime is being ignored. This suggests that they consider James’s novels to have too much other content that’s not necessary to the solution.

88%
b

too little characterization ██ ██████ ███ ██████ ██ █████ ███ █████

Only Waugh is concerned about the reader’s’ ability to solve the crime, and even there, she’s only interested in how the plot fools the reader. Nothing suggests she (or Oakes) cares about enabling the reader to solve the crime or making sure there’s enough characterization for the reader to do so.

3%
c

too few suspects ██ ████████ ████████

Unsupported. Neither raises any concerns about the suspense levels of James’s books. In fact, the suspense levels of James’s novels are never discussed in the passage. Rather, Waugh and Oakes’s concerns are about a lack of attention to solving the crime.

0%
d

too simple a ████ ██ ████ ███ █████████ ██ ███ ██████

Unsupported. Their concerns with the plot aren’t about its simplicity or complexity. In fact, the complexity of James’s plots are never discussed in the passage. Rather, Waugh and Oakes’s complaint is that whatever the plot, it doesn’t give enough attention to solving the crime.

4%
e

too convoluted a ████ ███ ███ ██████ ██ ██████████

Unsupported. Their concerns with the plot aren’t about its simplicity or complexity. In fact, the complexity of James’s plots is never discussed in the passage. Rather, Waugh and Oakes’s complaint is that whatever the plot, it doesn’t give enough attention to solving the crime.

5%

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