#9 - Must Be True, Main Point

[avengingangel]

I was between C & D, as I felt they were equally strong (ultimately chose D, yay, but I feel it was out of luck). Why is C wrong? Because of the first clause in the sentence ("Bc the content...about child-rearing")? I know that exact phrase was mentioned in the passage as something that Bettlejuice suppressed/"rewrote", so that's why C piqued my interested. But I guess I don't really know what that phrase means, or what orthodoxies it's referring to, is why I am still confused on C. Any guidance would be helpful. Thanks!

[gweatherall]

Signal bump- I had the exact same question! Thanks

[Luke Haqq]

Hi gweatherall and avengingangel,

Answer (C) states, "Because the content of fairy tales has historically run counter to prevailing orthodoxies about childrearing, psychologists such as Bettelheim sometimes reinterpret them to suit their own pedagogical needs."

Avengingangel is right to be suspicious of the first clause, "Because the content..." This seems problematic because the passage is talking about fairy tales that reinforce, rather than run counter to, the "prevailing orthodoxies about childrearing." These orthodoxies seem to refer to the view that children are always the transgressors and parents never so.

The rest of the language seems problematic as well, compared with the right answer. That is, "psychologists such as Bettelheim sometimes reinterpret them to suit their own pedagogical needs" portrays a rather neutral tone about Bettelheim. However, the end of the passage makes the author's view of Bettelheim apparent--in doing so, it signals the author's tone. In addition to describing the function of the overall passage, Answer (D) carries across that tone. "(D) The pervasive need to deny adult evil has led psychologists such as Bettelheim to erroneously view fairy tales solely as instruments of moral instruction for children." In addition to describing the passage's purpose, (D) also captures that the author disagrees with Bettelheim's interpretation.

[chian9010]

Hi I read the whole article three times but I am still not quit understand it.

I eliminated D directly as I thought what led Bettelheim erroneously interpreted fairy tale is because he hold the view that parents/adults are innocent and children are the one being selfish (transgressor). From line 52 "The need to deny adult evil..." I thought this is author's view of our real society to dispute Bettelheim's wrong interpretation of the fairy tale?

[Ben DiFabbio]

Hi I read the whole article three times but I am still not quit understand it.

I eliminated D directly as I thought what led Bettelheim erroneously interpreted fairy tale is because he hold the view that parents/adults are innocent and children are the one being selfish (transgressor). From line 52 "The need to deny adult evil..." I thought this is author's view of our real society to dispute Bettelheim's wrong interpretation of the fairy tale?

Hey Chian,

This is a tough passage, so it perfectly natural that you had some difficulty interpreting it. The author appears to introduce Bettelheim as an authority with whom the author agrees, but then it becomes clear that the author is criticizing Bettelheim's interpretive approach because it too conveniently ignores adult wrongdoings and places an undue emphasis on didacticism and the errors of children. Answer choice (D) captures the author's attitude and position in opposition to Bettelheim's interpretations of fairy tales. The language in (D) also closely mirrors the end of the passage, where the author makes their view known: "The need to deny adult evil has been a pervasive feature of our society, leading us to position children not only as the sole agents of evil (55) but also as the objects of unending moral instruction [...]."

I hope that helps!

- Ben

[mkarimi73]

Hello PowerScore! I am in need of some help regarding the main point question that is presented on page 340 of the RC Bible book. Could I possibly have an explanation as to why answer choice C is incorrect? I narrowed it down to C and D, and I understand why D is correct in the context of the discussion, but I need some guidance on how to confidently eliminate C from contention. Thanks in advance!

[Stephanie Oswalt]

Hello PowerScore! I am in need of some help regarding the main point question that is presented on page 340 of the RC Bible book. Could I possibly have an explanation as to why answer choice C is incorrect? I narrowed it down to C and D, and I understand why D is correct in the context of the discussion, but I need some guidance on how to confidently eliminate C from contention. Thanks in advance!

Hi mkarimi73,

Thanks for the post! I have moved your question to the thread discussing this topic. Please review the above discussion, particularly the explanation by Luke, and let us know if this helps or if you still have further questions! Thanks!