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- Thu Jul 05, 2018 5:42 pm
#47534
Complete Question Explanation
The correct answer choice is A.
The stem asks us to describe the stance of the author of Passage A towards Borges's view.
First, we need to have an idea of what Borges's view is. From the passage, we can summarize Borges's view as saying that the participation of the reader is an essential part of literature - and the manner of that participation shifts with the specific type of literature, with Poe's work as a prime example.
Now, what does the author of Passage A think about this view? Of course, she never comes out and says "I agree", or "I disagree". We have to look for a few specific textual clues. Most of the opinions in Passage A are explicitly limited to Borges's view ("according to Borges", "he suggests", etc.) There are two instances that stand out because they are not specifically ascribed to Borges - the last sentences of each paragraph.
In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the author describes Borges's view as "an insight into the general nature of literature". So we know the author thinks of his view as an insight into the general nature of literature. ("Insight", according to Google Dictionary, is "a deep understanding of a person or thing". Our author thinks Borges has a deep understanding).
And the last sentence of the second paragraph states, "Thus, what unites works belonging to the same genre is the way those works are read, rather than, say, a set of formal elements found within the works." This sentence nicely coincides with Borges's view, but notice how the author never says "according to Borges" in that sentence. Since she explicitly attributes every other sentence to Borges but doesn't in that last one, this suggests that the sentence is the view of the author being expressed.
And that's it! Those two sentences are really all we have to go off of for gleaning the author's perspective on Borges's views. She believes that his views are an insight into the general nature of literature, and (what appears to be) her view at the end of the passage is similar to his. So before looking at the answers, we want to Pre-Phrase something that describes the author's stance based purely on those two sentences. My Pre-Phrased answer would look something like: "Approval, agreement, and admiration". With that, we turn to the answer choices. Since there is so little to base our answer on (again, only two sentences really offer clues as to the author's stance), wrong answers will mostly stand out because there is absolutely nothing to support them.
Answer Choice (A): This is the correct answer. The only two sentences that express our author's point of view suggest that she strongly agrees with and appreciates Borges's view. Again, she thinks his views are an "insight", and what appears to be her conclusion at the end of the passage mirrors Borges's views. This answer closely matches our Pre-Phrase.
Answer Choice (B): The two sentences that allow us to peer into the author's head do not in any way suggest reluctance.
Answer Choice (C): The author is not neutral; she thinks his views are an insight and her conclusion to the passage suggests she completely agrees with his views.
Answer Choice (D): Again, the limited evidence we have suggests that the author agrees with Borges. There is nothing to suggest skepticism on the author's part.
Answer Choice (E): Same deal here. At no point is there anything to suggest the author rejects Borges's views; everything we can point to shows that she agrees with them.
The correct answer choice is A.
The stem asks us to describe the stance of the author of Passage A towards Borges's view.
First, we need to have an idea of what Borges's view is. From the passage, we can summarize Borges's view as saying that the participation of the reader is an essential part of literature - and the manner of that participation shifts with the specific type of literature, with Poe's work as a prime example.
Now, what does the author of Passage A think about this view? Of course, she never comes out and says "I agree", or "I disagree". We have to look for a few specific textual clues. Most of the opinions in Passage A are explicitly limited to Borges's view ("according to Borges", "he suggests", etc.) There are two instances that stand out because they are not specifically ascribed to Borges - the last sentences of each paragraph.
In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the author describes Borges's view as "an insight into the general nature of literature". So we know the author thinks of his view as an insight into the general nature of literature. ("Insight", according to Google Dictionary, is "a deep understanding of a person or thing". Our author thinks Borges has a deep understanding).
And the last sentence of the second paragraph states, "Thus, what unites works belonging to the same genre is the way those works are read, rather than, say, a set of formal elements found within the works." This sentence nicely coincides with Borges's view, but notice how the author never says "according to Borges" in that sentence. Since she explicitly attributes every other sentence to Borges but doesn't in that last one, this suggests that the sentence is the view of the author being expressed.
And that's it! Those two sentences are really all we have to go off of for gleaning the author's perspective on Borges's views. She believes that his views are an insight into the general nature of literature, and (what appears to be) her view at the end of the passage is similar to his. So before looking at the answers, we want to Pre-Phrase something that describes the author's stance based purely on those two sentences. My Pre-Phrased answer would look something like: "Approval, agreement, and admiration". With that, we turn to the answer choices. Since there is so little to base our answer on (again, only two sentences really offer clues as to the author's stance), wrong answers will mostly stand out because there is absolutely nothing to support them.
Answer Choice (A): This is the correct answer. The only two sentences that express our author's point of view suggest that she strongly agrees with and appreciates Borges's view. Again, she thinks his views are an "insight", and what appears to be her conclusion at the end of the passage mirrors Borges's views. This answer closely matches our Pre-Phrase.
Answer Choice (B): The two sentences that allow us to peer into the author's head do not in any way suggest reluctance.
Answer Choice (C): The author is not neutral; she thinks his views are an insight and her conclusion to the passage suggests she completely agrees with his views.
Answer Choice (D): Again, the limited evidence we have suggests that the author agrees with Borges. There is nothing to suggest skepticism on the author's part.
Answer Choice (E): Same deal here. At no point is there anything to suggest the author rejects Borges's views; everything we can point to shows that she agrees with them.