Reading comp PrepTest 123 · Section 4 · Question 2
Passage
For decades, there has been a deep rift between poetry and fiction in the United States, especially in academic settings;
Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Humanities
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 4
Main Point:
Despite a long-standing split between poets and fiction-writers, a fortunate recent trend to blending the genres is exemplified by the work of Rita Dove.
Key Lines:
Lines 1-3 - A split is established
Lines 15-17 - A potential reason for the split is suggested
Lines 21-24 - The Author says the split is fortunately ending
Lines 24-25 - The example explored through the rest of the passage is introduced
Meta-Structure:
Bringing the Sides Together - The Author starts by establishing a split between fiction and poetry in the US (Lines 1-3). After he explores the background of that split, he notes that it's "[f]ortunately" coming to an end (Lines 21-22), and he highlights Rita Dove as a prime example of this (Lines 24-25). Her writing is categorized by the Author as "lyric narrative" (Line 42), bringing together the characteristics that he previously attributed to each genre (Lines 8-11). When the Author brings two viewpoints together, that resolved viewpoint is almost always the main point of the passage, reflected in what we wrote above.
Question/Answer - (Lines 13-20) Paragraph 2 explores the background of the split in the US by asking a question and then providing a potential answer ("perhaps . . . "). This question and its answer don't dominate the passage, just one paragraph, so the Author's answer isn't the main point.
Generalization/Example - The Author's main point and clearest statement of opinion is a generalization in Lines 21-22. In order to back up this general claim about an erosion in the boundary between fiction and poetry, the Author cites "several recent writers," but he then dives into one as an "important example" (Line 24) - Rita Dove. Since she forms the basis for the rest of the passage, this extended example is a key element and should be reflected in the main point. We should also remember that she's there to back up a generalization—the passage uses Rita Dove as a premise supporting a more general conclusion, not as the conclusion itself.
Last Thoughts:
When the Author brings two sides together, we need to be clear on what he takes from both sides, and what characteristics/beliefs make up the combo. Here, the Author suggests that "lyric narrative" includes all of the cited elements of both poetry and fiction, but he goes into a few examples through Dove - what her poems sound like, and what her fiction sounds like. Let's keep these characteristics in mind as we work through the questions.
Paragraph 1
- Paragraph note
- A divide is explored
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Poetry vs. Fiction - Rift in US for decades
- Grad programs and professionals a part of it
- Conventional Wisdom - Poetry - Emo; Fiction - Character/story
Paragraph 2
- Paragraph note
- Author asks and answers question about background of split
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Why are they split?
- Potential answer - US Widespread View - Suspicion of generalist/dilettantes
Paragraph 3
- Paragraph note
- Signs split is diminishing, with a key example
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Author - Fortunate that split is eroding
- Example - Rita Dove (speech and background); Germany
Paragraph 4
- Paragraph note
- Dove, and how she brings the genres together
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Dove - Little sense to split poetry and fiction
- Combo = lyric narrative
- Dove poems - Lyrical, but have story
- Dove fiction - Prose, but has poetic rhythm
Main Point:
Despite a long-standing split between poets and fiction-writers, a fortunate recent trend to blending the genres is exemplified by the work of Rita Dove.
Key Lines:
Lines 1-3 - A split is established
Lines 15-17 - A potential reason for the split is suggested
Lines 21-24 - The Author says the split is fortunately ending
Lines 24-25 - The example explored through the rest of the passage is introduced
Meta-Structure:
Bringing the Sides Together - The Author starts by establishing a split between fiction and poetry in the US (Lines 1-3). After he explores the background of that split, he notes that it's "[f]ortunately" coming to an end (Lines 21-22), and he highlights Rita Dove as a prime example of this (Lines 24-25). Her writing is categorized by the Author as "lyric narrative" (Line 42), bringing together the characteristics that he previously attributed to each genre (Lines 8-11). When the Author brings two viewpoints together, that resolved viewpoint is almost always the main point of the passage, reflected in what we wrote above.
Question/Answer - (Lines 13-20) Paragraph 2 explores the background of the split in the US by asking a question and then providing a potential answer ("perhaps . . . "). This question and its answer don't dominate the passage, just one paragraph, so the Author's answer isn't the main point.
Generalization/Example - The Author's main point and clearest statement of opinion is a generalization in Lines 21-22. In order to back up this general claim about an erosion in the boundary between fiction and poetry, the Author cites "several recent writers," but he then dives into one as an "important example" (Line 24) - Rita Dove. Since she forms the basis for the rest of the passage, this extended example is a key element and should be reflected in the main point. We should also remember that she's there to back up a generalization—the passage uses Rita Dove as a premise supporting a more general conclusion, not as the conclusion itself.
Last Thoughts:
When the Author brings two sides together, we need to be clear on what he takes from both sides, and what characteristics/beliefs make up the combo. Here, the Author suggests that "lyric narrative" includes all of the cited elements of both poetry and fiction, but he goes into a few examples through Dove - what her poems sound like, and what her fiction sounds like. Let's keep these characteristics in mind as we work through the questions.
Question prompt
Which one of the
Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right
Credited answer: D
The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.
Question Type
Humanities
Strategy Overview
Review the literary achievements that the Author attributes to Dove, then generalize from them to get something we can use to analyze the answers
Answer Anticipation
While the main point of the passage was about a general trend, the Author spent a lot of time talking about Dove and how she exemplifies this trend. As such, we should have a pretty good idea of the achievements he attributes to her without spending a lot of time reviewing the passage.
So what does he say she was able to do? Well, she is an "important example" of the fortunate recent trend towards poetry and fiction not being seen as rigidly separated (Lines 21—25). She incorporates "clusters of narrative" in her poems (Lines 45—49) and poetic rhythms in her fiction (Lines 51—54).
Let's find an answer where someone similarly blends elements from two different genres together.
Answer choices
-
AA chef combines nontraditional Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice A is not credited
Incorrect. Dove combined elements traditionally associated with two different genres. This answer blends nontraditional methods with traditional ingredients. If the chef used methods from two different styles of cooking, then this answer would be in consideration. -
BA professor of film Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice B is not credited
Incorrect. Here, a professor takes knowledge from one area and applies it to another. That's not a blending of two different areas — there would have to be something in here about her using what she learned while directing to help improve her class for it to be a consideration. -
CAn actor who is Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. This answer features someone with experience in two areas working with a group to use their expertise to get a message out. They're not blending two different genres — they're working in one genre to put on a show on a certain subject. -
DA choreographer defies convention Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D matches the stem
Correct. This choreographer is blending together elements of two different genres in her dance in a way that defies convention. That's analogous to Dove's blending of elements of poems and fiction in defiance of what has been true for decades in the US. This answer is therefore correct. -
EA rock musician records Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E is not credited
Incorrect. The rock musician here is inserting a new section of music into another piece of music. Maybe if it was noted that these solos and the songs were from different genres that normally didn't go together, we could consider this answer . . . but it doesn't.
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