#11 - Specific Reference, Must Be True, Organization

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (C).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

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

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

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

[andriana.caban]

Hi!

I'm not sure why (c) is correct. What is the authors "general thesis"? I'm assuming that general thesis is synonymous with the authors main point. That's something I can't really find in the passage because I'm confused as to what the author is even saying. I thought the author's main purpose was to explain that the new school of literary criticism was (1) borrowing words and creating "new things" (line 1-5); and (2) not as skillful in their judging of words, and less sophisticated (or less than) simple criticism (lines 45 - 55).

[Claire Horan]

Hi Andriana,

Yes, "general thesis" means central claim or main point. Although you are having trouble figuring out the main point of this passage, your attempts show that you are picking up the tone. The author is critical of the deconstructionists and finds them presumptuous. The main point is something like this: Deconstructionism's flaws are reflected in the old meanings of the terms they have chosen for their methodology. Paragraph 2 demonstrates this thesis using the words "signifier" and "signified" as examples.

If that explanation is too rich for your blood, consider that the question is basically asking, "What is Paragraph 2 doing in the passage." The answer is that it gives an example. You know this because the first paragraph states that the new school prefers certain terms to describe its work. Paragraph 2 then introduces the words "signifier" and "signified" as two "neologisms" (new words) that the new school adopted. Since these terms are not mentioned again later, you know that they are not really the point of the passage but are just used to illustrate a point. As long as you are able to determine that the terms were just used as an example, answer choice (C) will be the only contender.

Great question, and happy studying!

[ashpine17]

I was down to c and d and thought example was uncertain so went for d because i thought the author brought in the signifier stuff to show what came before development, and the last sentence of the second paragraph sounded a lot like d with the prediction. why is this thinking wrong??

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi ash,

The "predicts" language is not there to say the paragraph is predicting what comes next, but rather that words themselves can predict what would come next. The "predict" is a definition of a word used in that paragraph, not that the paragraph itself is predicting the next stage in the development of the movement. However, the paragraph does demonstrate how words, when used in a new way, continue to hold some of the meaning they had prior. The author uses the example of "signify" as an example of how a word holds the old meaning before jumping into the main argument about the term "deconstruction."

Hope that helps!