#25 - Sociologists study folktales because they provide a

[Administrator]

Please post your questions below!

[JGonzalez515]

Hi,

I understand that the correct answer C creates a link between the values of a culture and that culture's adaption of narratives, but in my mind it doesn't explain at all why different cultures almost all adapt the same narratives. Meanwhile, even though D doesn't directly address the values - narrative link, it does seem to provide a reason why all these cultures might adapt the same narratives — in my mind, it doesn't require any logical leap to conclude that basic themes and features of the human condition are of common concern to all cultures.

Could you please elaborate on why D is specifically wrong or why C just does more to resolve the discrepancy?

[Jeremy Press]

Hi JGonzalez515,

The basic problem with answer choice D is that it only explains one of the primary stimulus facts (the one you've correctly identified): why folktales in different cultures come from the same ancient narratives. But that answer choice does not help us understand the "discrepancy" in the stimulus, because it doesn't also help us understand the other primary stimulus fact: why sociologists look to folktales to understand "distinctive" (i.e. differing) values of a culture. That's the real discrepancy here: why do sociologists look to find distinctive cultural values [Stimulus Fact Number 1] using sources that come from the same ancient narratives [Stimulus Fact Number 2]?

Always keep in mind that the correct answer in a Resolve the Paradox question has to explain both factual sides of a discrepancy. In other words, it has to show how two seemingly inconsistent things (in this case the two stimulus facts that I've labeled above) could simultaneously be true.

I hope this helps!

Jeremy

[theamazingrace]

Hi, I understand why answer choice C is correct but why is answer choice A wrong?

Thanks !

[KelseyWoods]

Hi Chizobao!

This is a Resolve the Paradox question so our first step is to identify the paradox. The paradox here is that the stimulus tells us that folktales are a means of understanding the distinctive values of a culture but also that folktales in almost all cultures are adaptations of the same ancient narratives. How can folktales tell us anything about the distinctive values of a specific culture if all cultures adapt their folktales from the same ancient narratives?

Answer choice (A) does not resolve this paradox. (A) tells us that folktales reflect the values of a culture, rather than an individual. But still, if all cultures are adapting the same stories into their folktales, then how can the folktales represent differences between different cultures? Our paradox is not about the individual vs. the culture. It's about distinguishing between cultures based on stories that they are all adapting from the same sources.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey

[menkenj]

For this question, I narrowed it down to C, D, and E.

(D) : Because this AC references basic themes and features of the human condition, it doesn't resolve the paradox in being to use ancient narratives to inform different cultures.
(E): I found this answer attractive because of real world stories where ancient narratives are used as morality tales. However, this didn't seem to resolve the paradox because it doesn't indicate how the folktales would allow for cultural differentiation.

(C): The right answer because it allows for both ancient narratives to be used across cultures while allowing those cultures to have differentiation in their adaptations.


Does this analysis make sense?

Thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

Exactly right! And selecting answer C is a lot easier if you start with a prephrase, which is the crucial step to success in every LR question and most RC questions. Here, we should prephrase something like "even though they are all based on the same source material, there are differences in the ways they are adapted." Or, to more directly connect the info in the first half of the paradox, "the adaptations are uniquely shaped by the values of the culture."