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- Sat Jul 01, 2017 12:03 pm
#36732
Complete Question Explanation
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=14619)
The correct answer choice is (B)
The “signs and symbols” referred to in paragraph two are given to illustrate that a literary text does
contain some inherent indications of the author’s intent. These signs must be interpreted with reliable
literary theories in order to gain a more accurate understanding of the work.
Answer choice (A): This answer choice might be attractive to some test takers because the author
mentions “complicated literary work” in the very next sentence (lines 35-37). But the author’s point
here is that complicated literature is confusing, not that good literature is complicated. Furthermore, the
reference to “various signs and symbols” is not directly linked to the following sentence. It must serve a
different function.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. Reader-response theory leads to varying
interpretations of literary works, but it does not legitimize interpretations that have no basis in the text.
By pointing out that the “various signs and symbols must be translated for the work to be understood,”
the author “grants that a reader must be guided by the text to some degree.”
Answer choice (C): This answer choice is also drawn from the immediate context of the specific
reference. Since any complicated work will invariably raise more questions than it answers, some test
takers may infer that no theory can fully explain such literature. But the specific reference given does
not address the explanatory power of literary theories; instead, it describes a portion of the appropriate
relationship between a reader and a text.
Answer choice (D): This was a commonly chosen incorrect answer. Test takers can easily identify the
author’s claim that a literary work is not a map and mistakenly assume that the rest of the sentence is
a premise to support that claim. But the author actually refers to “signs and symbols” as a similarity
between maps and literary texts. Maps and texts both use signs and symbols that must be translated in
order for each to be understood and appreciated, but they lead to different destinations. This is a good
example of an Attractive Distractor.
Answer choice (E): Test takers should immediately identify this answer choice with formalism and
recognize that the author’s purpose with this reference is not to advocate formalism. The author does not
ask readers to apply an inflexible standard of interpretation in order to accurately arrive at the correct
meaning of a text.
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=14619)
The correct answer choice is (B)
The “signs and symbols” referred to in paragraph two are given to illustrate that a literary text does
contain some inherent indications of the author’s intent. These signs must be interpreted with reliable
literary theories in order to gain a more accurate understanding of the work.
Answer choice (A): This answer choice might be attractive to some test takers because the author
mentions “complicated literary work” in the very next sentence (lines 35-37). But the author’s point
here is that complicated literature is confusing, not that good literature is complicated. Furthermore, the
reference to “various signs and symbols” is not directly linked to the following sentence. It must serve a
different function.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. Reader-response theory leads to varying
interpretations of literary works, but it does not legitimize interpretations that have no basis in the text.
By pointing out that the “various signs and symbols must be translated for the work to be understood,”
the author “grants that a reader must be guided by the text to some degree.”
Answer choice (C): This answer choice is also drawn from the immediate context of the specific
reference. Since any complicated work will invariably raise more questions than it answers, some test
takers may infer that no theory can fully explain such literature. But the specific reference given does
not address the explanatory power of literary theories; instead, it describes a portion of the appropriate
relationship between a reader and a text.
Answer choice (D): This was a commonly chosen incorrect answer. Test takers can easily identify the
author’s claim that a literary work is not a map and mistakenly assume that the rest of the sentence is
a premise to support that claim. But the author actually refers to “signs and symbols” as a similarity
between maps and literary texts. Maps and texts both use signs and symbols that must be translated in
order for each to be understood and appreciated, but they lead to different destinations. This is a good
example of an Attractive Distractor.
Answer choice (E): Test takers should immediately identify this answer choice with formalism and
recognize that the author’s purpose with this reference is not to advocate formalism. The author does not
ask readers to apply an inflexible standard of interpretation in order to accurately arrive at the correct
meaning of a text.