#1 - Global Reference, Must Be True, Main Point

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (A).

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[avengingangel]

How is (A) the answer ?? The last sentence in the passage clearly says "But perhaps the time has come..." That's why I did not choose A, because the passage explicitly shows how it's not true (perhaps vs. should).

[Adam Tyson]

I'm going to turn this one back over to you, Angel, and ask you a few questions. What do you think the main conclusion of this passage is? What is the author really trying to say, if not that P.D. James should write mainstream novels rather than remain constrained by the genre of detective fiction? What do you think the author is implying when she says "perhaps the time has come"?

To help with the last question, consider these analogies:

1. I say to my young son "perhaps it's time you got ready for bed".

2. My wife and I are at a party, and she tells me "perhaps it's time we went home now."

3. A movie critic writes "perhaps it's time for Adam Sandler to stop making comedies."

What are all of these people saying? Is there a "you should do X" element to those statement?

Regarding the earlier questions, remember that we are all about picking the best answer from among the choices presented. You don't have to love the answer, you don't even have to like it. You just have to hate it less than the other answer choices. Did you like some other answer more? Did you like this one even a little bit more than all of the others? If so, then that's what makes it the right answer - not that it's perfect, or even that it's good, or even that it's true. If it's the best answer - the one you hate the least - then it's the credited response. Don't waste time and effort figuring out why an answer isn't good, but instead spend your time on determining why it is or isn't better than another.

Look that over again, and let us know what you think after some reflection and analysis on these ideas. Good luck!

[avengingangel]

Thanks for your thoughtful reply, Adam.

I definitely do get the implied meaning of using "perhaps" in every day language. But because the passage tone wasn't overwhelmingly convincing (more of a hey, let's take a look at how we categorize her writing...it might not be totally accurate), to answer your question, that's what's I was thinking about as the main conclusion of the author. So when I saw the "should" in A, I thought that to be an exaggerated answer, and immediately cast it as a Loser. I definitely "hated" it the most, thus, I didn't choose it.


(For my own future reference: 2-120)