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- Mon Feb 03, 2020 3:18 pm
#73685
Complete Question Explanation
The correct answer choice is (A).
Expansion questions ask for an answer choice that goes beyond the given passage: either beginning the passage, or continuing it, or, in this case, adding to it. They can be tricky for students. Keep in mind these basics: unless the question stem explicitly says otherwise, the correct answer (1) should be consistent with the author's viewpoint in the passage (don't contradict the author), and (2) should be rooted in the material of the passage (don't let the answer choice stray into "new" subject matter that the passage does not discuss at all). We likely won't have a good prephrase for such questions, so simply use the above answer choice tips to sort answers into contenders and losers.
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. While there are no absolute predictions in the passage, the author does indicate that one of the preconditions for this prediction coming true has already happened. The author states in lines 21-22 that "there are signs that the bias against writers who cross generic boundaries is diminishing." This answer choice is also consistent with the author's viewpoint, because the author clearly sympathizes with Rita Dove and others like her, who view the forced choice existing in the U.S. between fiction and poetry as a false choice. The author is thus likely to favor a prediction that shows such a genre boundary breaking down. Furthermore, this answer choice does not stray beyond the subject matter of the passage, which is focused almost entirely on the genre distinction in the United States between poetry and fiction, and how Rita Dove's work is an example transcending such a distinction.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice is incorrect, because it strays outside the subject matter of the passage. The passage never discusses the market for poetry or fiction, and certainly does not discuss any sub-markets within those broader categories (like the market for "pure lyric poetry" referenced in this answer choice).
Answer choice (C): This answer choice is incorrect, because it implies a relationship between fiction and poetry that the author never endorses, namely that fiction is the dominant category, and poetry is a subsidiary category that should be nested within the broader fiction category. Indeed, the answer choice seems to run counter to the author's viewpoint, because the author regards poetry and fiction as equally valid and valued, and does not want to force authors to choose one over the other.
Answer choice (D): This is an opposite answer. As discussed in the explanation to answer choice A, the author sees the boundaries between poetry and fiction in the U.S. breaking down (particularly apparent from lines 21-22), and therefore would be highly unlikely to predict that specialization will increase.
Answer choice (E): This answer choice is incorrect, because it strays outside the subject matter of the passage. The passage does not discuss the audience for poetry or fiction, therefore we cannot have any uncertainty what such audiences would do if the current genre rift persists.
The correct answer choice is (A).
Expansion questions ask for an answer choice that goes beyond the given passage: either beginning the passage, or continuing it, or, in this case, adding to it. They can be tricky for students. Keep in mind these basics: unless the question stem explicitly says otherwise, the correct answer (1) should be consistent with the author's viewpoint in the passage (don't contradict the author), and (2) should be rooted in the material of the passage (don't let the answer choice stray into "new" subject matter that the passage does not discuss at all). We likely won't have a good prephrase for such questions, so simply use the above answer choice tips to sort answers into contenders and losers.
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. While there are no absolute predictions in the passage, the author does indicate that one of the preconditions for this prediction coming true has already happened. The author states in lines 21-22 that "there are signs that the bias against writers who cross generic boundaries is diminishing." This answer choice is also consistent with the author's viewpoint, because the author clearly sympathizes with Rita Dove and others like her, who view the forced choice existing in the U.S. between fiction and poetry as a false choice. The author is thus likely to favor a prediction that shows such a genre boundary breaking down. Furthermore, this answer choice does not stray beyond the subject matter of the passage, which is focused almost entirely on the genre distinction in the United States between poetry and fiction, and how Rita Dove's work is an example transcending such a distinction.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice is incorrect, because it strays outside the subject matter of the passage. The passage never discusses the market for poetry or fiction, and certainly does not discuss any sub-markets within those broader categories (like the market for "pure lyric poetry" referenced in this answer choice).
Answer choice (C): This answer choice is incorrect, because it implies a relationship between fiction and poetry that the author never endorses, namely that fiction is the dominant category, and poetry is a subsidiary category that should be nested within the broader fiction category. Indeed, the answer choice seems to run counter to the author's viewpoint, because the author regards poetry and fiction as equally valid and valued, and does not want to force authors to choose one over the other.
Answer choice (D): This is an opposite answer. As discussed in the explanation to answer choice A, the author sees the boundaries between poetry and fiction in the U.S. breaking down (particularly apparent from lines 21-22), and therefore would be highly unlikely to predict that specialization will increase.
Answer choice (E): This answer choice is incorrect, because it strays outside the subject matter of the passage. The passage does not discuss the audience for poetry or fiction, therefore we cannot have any uncertainty what such audiences would do if the current genre rift persists.
Jeremy Press
LSAT Instructor and law school admissions consultant
LSAT Instructor and law school admissions consultant