Reading comp PrepTest 101 · Section 4 · Question 4

Passage

Questions 1-8  .        Wherever the crime novels of P. D. James are  . discussed by critics, there is a Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Humanities


Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Debate on the quality of James' crime novels
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • The first side of the debate:
      • Critics who over-exaggerate James's merits as a writer (first sentence)
    • The second side of the debate:
      • Critics who find James's writing overly pretentious (first sentence)
    • Cause-and-effect relationship, according to the author:
      • The general dichotomy between slightly dull "highbrow" novels and enjoyable "lowbrow" literature is at the root of the debate surrounding James's detective novels (last sentence)
    • Author’s attitude: “exaggerate” (first sentence); "familiar, false opposition” (second sentence); "somehow" (second sentence)

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • Elaborates on both sides of the debate
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • The first side of the debate (James's work is "high literature" ):
      • James uses meticulous character constructions, elaborate settings, and lots of abstractions (first sentence)
    • The second side of the debate (James's work is overly pretentious):
      • James creates tiresome works that abandon the conventions of the detective genre (second sentence)
    • Examples to support the second viewpoint:
      • Harriet Waugh and Philip Oakes' critiques (last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "inverted snobbery" (second sentence)

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Author: Recognizes the merits of each side of the debate
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Author's view:
      • James's descriptive writing and characterization add "dignity and weight" to her works (first through third sentences)
      • But these narrative devices strongly distract from the plot and aren't always successfully deployed (fourth through fifth sentences)
    • Comparison of James's interests, according to the author:
      • James dedicates more attention to describing the patinas and aromas of a country kitchen than the plot (fourth sentence)
      • James is less interested in the detective elements of her novels than in describing her characters (last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "certainly capable of strikingly good writing" (first sentence); "convincing histories and passions" (second sentence); "part of the pleasure of her books" (third sentence); "dignity and weight" (third sentence); "equally true" (fourth sentence); "frequently interfere" (fourth sentence); "can be shameless and thin" (fifth sentence), "often impossible" (fifth sentence)

Paragraph 4

  • Paragraph note
    • Author: James may be losing interest in the detective novel and should abandon it
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Author's view:
      • Since James seems to feel increasingly constrained by the conventions of the detective genre, she should perhaps switch to general fiction writing (first through last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "However…" (first sentence) "there is no reason why" (first sentence); "conscious rebellion" (third sentence); "fashionable" (fourth sentence), "reprehensible" (fourth sentence), "perhaps the time has come" (last sentence)

Main Point: Because P.D. James's narrative style is constrained by the traditional conventions of the detective genre, she should migrate to writing general fiction.

Key Lines?

Paragraph 1, Sentence 1 (P1, S1) - Introduction of both sides of the debate

P2, S1 - Rationale for the first side of the debate

P2, S1 - Rationale for the second side of the debate

P3, S3-4 - Author's stance

P4, S5:- Author's recommendation

Meta-Structure?

Resolving a Debate: In this passage, the author describes two opposing viewpoints before expressing their own opinion on the matter. The debate at hand involves P. D. James's unique approach to the detective genre. In the first paragraph, the author introduces the rival opinions: those who strongly believe in James's merits as an author of crime fiction and those who think that she strays too far from the genre's conventions (P1, S1). In the second paragraph, the author elaborates on each side's rationale for their points of view. Finally, in the third and fourth paragraphs, the author offers their opinion, suggesting a compromise between the two previously discussed points of view. This explanation — and subsequent resolution — of two opposing viewpoints strongly suggests a Resolving a Debate Meta-Structure.

In a Resolving a Debate Meta-Structure, the main point will be the author's opinion or mediation/reconciliation of the debate. The author helpfully offers the reconciliation in the fourth paragraph. We summarized this resolution as follows, "Because P.D. James's narrative style is constrained by the traditional conventions of the detective genre, she should migrate to writing general fiction."

Examples: The author uses examples at two different points in the passage to illustrate a specific viewpoint:

  • The author mentions the critics Harriet Waugh and Philip Oakes (P2, S3). These examples demonstrate the view that James's detective novels are overly pretentious and stray from the genre's conventions.
  • The author references the "patinas and aromas of a country kitchen [that] receive more loving attention than does the plot itself" and that James often makes it impossible to see how the detective arrives at the truth in her novels (P3, S4-5). These examples support the author's claim that James's descriptive, philosophical style interferes with the story in detective fiction.

As is the case with all our minor Meta-Structures, we should have these highlighted or underlined to help us locate them in the likely event that we get a question about them.

Last Thoughts?

Question prompt

The passage supports which Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: E

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Question Type

Humanities

Strategy Overview

Remind ourselves of the main point of the passage, then head to the answers, focusing on those that line up with the main point and then using our notes/the passage to find the correct answer

Answer Anticipation

This question asks us to infer, based on the entire passage, a statement that must be true about detective fiction. Because the author discussed detective fiction throughout the passage, this question provides little indication of what part of the passage we should review. Moreover, this answer choice asks us what the passage "supports" rather than what the passage "states." So, the correct answer probably won't restate something from the passage. Instead, the question will likely require us to draw a connection between a few different pieces of information.We'll need to rely on our big-picture understanding of the passage to answer this question. We should start by reminding ourselves of the main point (either by reviewing what we said after reading the passage or by re-reading our answer to the main point question). From there, we can head to the answer choices. If something in an answer choice doesn't seem familiar, we shouldn't check the passage to see if it was mentioned. Instead, we'll table it and move on to the next answer choice. If something seems inconsistent with the main point, we can eliminate it. If something seems familiar and consistent with the main point, we'll use our notes/highlights/underlines to find the part of the passage that proves the answer choice must be true. If we can find that confirmation, we'll select that answer choice and move on.

Answer choices

  1. A
    There are as many Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) Do you remember reading that there are as many conventions of detective novels as people who write crime novels?

    Probably not. Experienced test-takers would also note that this is a bold comparison and that they'd probably remember such a bold claim if one was made in the passage. As a result, they'd either table or eliminate this answer choice. They wouldn't invest time reviewing the passage to see if this is supported.

    If we had to review the passage to research this, we wouldn't find any support. Although the author mentions, at several points, that there are detective-story conventions (P2, S2; P4, S1), the author never says that there is the same number of conventions as writers of detective fiction.

  2. B
    Detective fiction has been Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) Do you recall reading about detective fiction's "extremely high literary quality"?

    Almost certainly not. In fact, you might recall the author saying the near-opposite of (B). The author suggests that there's a dichotomy between enjoyable books, like detective novels, which are thought to be "lowbrow," and "true literature," which tends to be dull (P1, S2). Although the author says this dichotomy is "false" (P1, S1), it's still true that detective fiction is generally not characterized by its literary quality.

  3. C
    Detective fiction has been Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    (C) Do you remember reading that critics have mostly ignored detective fiction?

    Probably not. In fact, the passage suggests that there's been quite a bit of criticism of James's detective fiction (P1, S1; P2, S3). These critics are also familiar with certain conventions of detective novels (P2, S3), so they must pay at least some attention to these books. This answer choice has a bit of allure, given detective fiction's "lowbrow" reputation (P1, S2). However, the author never claims critics ignore detective fiction.

  4. D
    There is very little Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) Do you remember reading that critics disagree about the basic elements of the typical detective novel?

    Probably not. If you don't recall reading this, it's best to table this answer choice and review (E), rather than reflexively checking the passage to see if this statement is supported.

    If you recall reading about detective novels' "time-honored conventions" (P2, S1) or recognize that James's dissatisfaction with these conventions is part of the author's main point, you'd realize that (D) is false. In fact, the author mentions, at several points, that there are detective-story conventions (P2, S2; P4, S1). Additionally, the author cites two critics who both suggest that there are basic elements, like the author fooling the reader or the protagonist catching the killer, of the detective novel (P2, S3).

  5. E
    Writers of detective fiction Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem

    (E) Do you recall reading that detective-fiction writers typically follow some conventions when writing their novels?

    Probably! Even if you do not recall this, note the weak, easy-to-support language in this answer choice ("customarily," "certain"). If you can't select this based on your memory alone, this softer language makes (E) the most promising answer choice. Some experienced test-takers might even feel comfortable selecting (E) without reviewing the passage since the main point addresses James's dissatisfaction with detective-novel conventions.

    For those who prefer to get confirmation from the passage, a quick search for "conventions" (perhaps by using the CTRL/Command + F search function) will reveal that the author describes certain detective-story conventions a few times (P2, S2; P4, S1). In fact, the author cites critics who grumble that James doesn't follow these conventional storytelling devices (P2, S3). Therefore, we can be satisfied that (E) is supported.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 3%
  2. B 1%
  3. C 1%
  4. D 3%
  5. E Credited 91%

Deeper help

Ask follow-ups on any step

Optional AI tutor mode will let you interrogate assumptions, compare answers, and drill weak patterns without leaving the page.

Human-written explanations stay primary; AI is an add-on when you want it.

Discussion

View all discussions Start a discussion