Reading comp PrepTest 101 · Section 4 · Question 8

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

Which one of the Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: C

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

Question Type

Humanities

Strategy Overview

Review notes and reference to "familiar" attitude from the first paragraph, if necessary, to anticipate key features of that concept

Answer Anticipation

This question asks us to identify a quote that illustrates the "familiar" attitude from the first paragraph. To answer this, we simply have to use our notes or re-read the relevant part of the passage to review this attitude, and find the answer choice that presents a quote that exemplifies the key characteristics of what we reviewed. The correct answer choice will likely present new information, so we shouldn't eliminate anything that seems unfamiliar. We should only eliminate answer choices that do not include key elements of the "familiar" attitude.The "familiar" attitude in question is described at the end of the first paragraph. The author argues that the root of the criticisms of James's literature is the "familiar, false opposition" between slightly dull "highbrow" novels and enjoyable "lowbrow" literature (P1, S2). So, the correct answer should either praise a novel's slightly dull narrative or denigrate a novel for being enjoyable or easy to read.

Answer choices

  1. A
    "The fantasy and whimsy Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) Does this answer praise a novel's slightly dull narrative or denigrate a novel for being enjoyable or easy to read?

    Nope. The descriptors "fantasy" and "whimsy" make this novel seem straightforwardly enjoyable and fun to read. They are the opposite of "slightly dull." According to the "familiar" attitude, a novel with fantasy and whimsy should be viewed as lowbrow, not a "truly great" work of literature.

  2. B
    "The greatest work of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) Does this answer praise a novel's slightly dull narrative or denigrate a novel for being enjoyable or easy to read?

    No. Calling a book a "highly humorous collection of tales" makes the novel seem enjoyable and fun to read, not slightly dull. The "familiar" attitude would view this book as somewhat lowbrow. It wouldn't champion the book as the "greatest work of early English literature."

  3. C
    "A truly great work Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem

    (C) Does this answer praise a novel's slightly dull narrative or denigrate a novel for being enjoyable or easy to read?

    Yes! A book that "place[s] demands upon its readers" sounds challenging and, potentially, dull. The claim that the work should not "divert" its readers also means the book should not attempt to entertain its readers. The belief that only demanding work can be a "truly great work of literature" exemplifies the "familiar" attitude that real literature must be a "tiny bit dull" and that enjoyable novels are "lowbrow" (P1, S2). We would be justified in selecting (C) and wrapping up this passage. 

  4. D
    "Although many critics are Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) Does this answer praise a novel's slightly dull narrative or denigrate a novel for being enjoyable or easy to read?

    No. Many test-takers select (D), but this is plainly the opposite of the "familiar" attitude described in the first paragraph. The "familiar" attitude treats enjoyable novels as slightly "lowbrow," not worthy of the title of "true literature." Here, the speaker takes the opposite stance. The speaker argues that the "millions of readers" who enjoy this novel prove that the novel is good (or at least not worthy of the critics' derision). The critics' view in this quote may align with the "familiar" attitude (though, to be fair, we do not know how enjoyable or dull this best-selling novel is), but the speaker's view certainly does not exemplify this attitude.

  5. E
    "A novel need only Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) Does this answer praise a novel's slightly dull narrative or denigrate a novel for being enjoyable or easy to read?

    No. Many test-takers select (E). However, the author says that the "familiar" attitude is at the root of the debate over James's detective novels. Some people think James's novels are great because they do not follow the requirements of the genre in which she writes (P2, S1). These critics, presumably, think that true literature shouldn't simply follow the "enjoyable" rules of a given genre. Such critics embody the "familiar" attitude that true literature should not be purely enjoyable. Therefore, this quote illustrates a belief inconsistent with the "familiar" attitude in the third paragraph.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 7%
  2. B 3%
  3. C Credited 44%
  4. D 9%
  5. E 36%

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