Reading comp PrepTest 135 · Section 3 · Question 6

Passage

Questions 1-7  .        In the 1980s there was a proliferation of poetry  . collections, short stories, and novels published Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Humanities


Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • 1980s trends in U.S. Latina writings (proliferation of poetry/short stories/novels, and three notable autobiographies)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • List of two 1980s trends in writings by Latina women in the U.S., according to the author:
      • 1980s: Lots of poetry, short stories, and novels (first sentence)
      • End of 1980s: Autobiography (3 examples) (last sentence)
    • List of notable autobiographies of Latina women in the U.S., according to the author:
      • Loving in the War Years: Lo Que Nunca Pasó Por Sus Labios by Cherríe Moraga; Getting Home Alive, by Aurora Levins Morales and Rosario Morales; and Borderlands/La Frontera, by Gloria Anzaldúa (last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "proliferation" (first sentence); "notable" (last sentence)

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • How the three autobiographies innovate (combine English and Spanish, mix genres to explore ethnicity, gender, and language)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Author's view:
      • The three notable autobiographies innovate by mixing English and Spanish and by combining multiple genres (essays, poems, short stories, etc.) to explore the relationship between ethnicity, gender, and language (first through last sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "innovative at many levels" (first sentence); "confront" (second sentence); "manifests itself" (last sentence); "without, for the most part, giving preference" (last sentence)

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Specific innovations in each autobiography (all use multiple genres and voices to express complex identities)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • List of specific innovations in each autobiography, according to the author:
      • Borderlands/La Frontera: personal and community history by mixing narrative and poetry (first sentence)
      • Loving in the War Years: Mixes genres; not chronological (political development) (second sentence)
      • Getting Home Alive: Even more innovative, mixes mom and daughter viewpoints (fourth through sixth sentences)
    • Author's view:
      • All autobiographies mix genres and voices to express the formation of their author's complex identity (last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "departs even further from conventions" (fourth sentence); "may seem fragmentary and confusing, it is in fact a fully intentional and carefully designed experiment with literary structure" (sixth sentence); "employ multigeneric and multivocal forms to express the complexities inherent in the formation of their identities" (last sentence)

Paragraph 4

  • Paragraph note
    • Author's conclusion (writers revolutionized autobiography to make it fit their voices and experiences)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Author's view:
      • These autobiographies by Latina women in the U.S. revolutionized the genre to make a better vehicle to express their voices and experiences (first and last sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "revolutionized" (first sentence); "redrawing the boundaries" (first sentence); "more amenable to teh expression of their own experience" (first sentence); "shown a strong determination" (last sentence)

Main Point: By mixing forms and genres, breaking with traditional timelines, and mixing multiple voices, the autobiographies published by Latina women at the end of the 1980s innovated within the genre and allowed the authors to fully capture their identities and experiences.

Meta-Structure?

Innovative Subject: This passage uses one of the most common major Meta-Structures for humanities passages — Innovative [Subject]. These humanities passages describe what is groundbreaking and unique about an artist, movement, or group of artists. The word "[Subject]" is just a placeholder for the artist, movement, or group of artists. This passage discusses three authors and their innovations in the autobiography genre. So, we can think of this as an Innovative Autobiographies or Innovative Autobiographers passage (or an Innovative Autobiografía passage, if you want to mix English and Spanish like these writers).

In Innovative [Subject] passages, the main point is generally the author's opinion on the innovation. The author really goes overboard with their praise for these autobiographies — especially in the fourth paragraph, where the author summarizes their opinion. We can use that paragraph as the main point whenever a question requires us to consider that main point. Alternatively, we can summarize the author's opinions for them. We elected to use the latter approach, including some of the specific innovations the author outlined in the third paragraph.

Last Thoughts?

Paragraph 3 is really long and detailed, so we should be sure to head back to check details as necessary when answering questions about the specific innovations in each autobiography.

Question prompt

The author most likely Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: A

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

Question Type

Humanities

Strategy Overview

Review the purpose of the paragraph in which the expression is found, including the expression in question, then use the purpose and the immediate context to define the expression's meaning

Answer Anticipation

This question asks what the author meant when they used the phrase "existing generic parameters." This phrase appeared in the last paragraph, so we should start by defining the role of that paragraph, as that can sometimes provide contextual clues about the author's meaning. Our note for the last paragraph is, "Author's conclusion (writers revolutionized autobiography to make it fit their voices and experiences)." So, the phrase "existing generic parameters" probably refers to one of the conventions that the three autobiographies broke away from to "revolutionize[]" the genre. Let's check the last paragraph to see if this hunch is accurate.Now, turning our attention to the expression in question, the mention of "existing generic parameters" is said to be what these writers didn't force onto their autobiographies, instead innovating in the genre and "redrawing the boundaries" of it (P4, S1). In other words, the existing generic parameters are what autobiographies were before these women innovated in the genre.As such, any of the elements that the women innovated away from would be included in the "existing generic parameters." These innovations are listed in our notes for the second and third paragraphs, so we can surmise that traditional autobiographies did not "mix genres" or "use multiple genres and voices." If we need to identify more specific innovations that are not normally in autobiographies, we can refer to the second and third paragraphs as needed.

Answer choices

  1. A
    The events presented in Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A matches the stem

    (A) Does this refer to one of the conventions of traditional autobiographies that writers didn't force onto their autobiographies?

    This certainly sounds like a convention of a traditional autobiography. If you didn't recall that one of the autobiographies described in this passage rebelled against this convention, you could check the third paragraph. There, the author notes that Loving in the War Years innovated with a "departure from chronological ordering" as one of its main innovations (P3, S3), and so chronological ordering must serve as an "existing generic parameter" for autobiographies. This answer is, therefore, correct. We'd be justified in selecting (A) and advancing straight to the next question.

  2. B
    When different modes of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) Does this refer to one of the conventions of traditional autobiographies that writers didn't force onto their autobiographies?

    Nope. This doesn't sound like a convention of traditional autobiographies. In fact, the mixed modes of presentation was one of the innovations of these autobiographies (P2, S3), so it isn't an "existing generic parameter[]." This answer is trying to catch you by matching the language used at the end of Paragraph 2, where this innovation is called a "generically mixed structure," but while both phrases use a variation of "generic," they're referring to different things.

  3. C
    Autobiographical writing should not Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    (C) Does this refer to one of the conventions of traditional autobiographies that writers didn't force onto their autobiographies?

    A lack of "political overtones" does not sound like a convention of typical autobiographies. One would expect that autobiographies by, for example, politicians have always had political overtones! So, we can safely table or eliminate (C).

    If we had to check the passage to verify whether (C) is correct, we wouldn't find any discussion of political overtones in autobiography — either generically or for the innovative ones discussed.

  4. D
    Sketches and poems collected Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) Does this refer to one of the conventions of traditional autobiographies that writers didn't force onto their autobiographies?

    No. This doesn't sound like a convention of typical autobiographies, so we can safely table or eliminate (D). Besides, the inclusion of sketches and poems in an autobiography was noted as an innovation by the women of Latin American descent in the U.S. (P2, S3), and Getting Home Alive was noted as weaving these elements together (P3, S5). As such, this isn't an "existing" generic parameter.

  5. E
    Personal experiences can be Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) Does this refer to one of the conventions of traditional autobiographies that writers didn't force onto their autobiographies?

    No. This is a blanket statement about literature — not a convention of traditional autobiographies. So, we can safely eliminate or table (E).

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A Credited 80%
  2. B 5%
  3. C 1%
  4. D 5%
  5. E 9%

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Discussion

  • Why B? 1 reply

    Started by Marissa-Avnaim

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