PrepTest 101, Section 4, Question 2
Wherever the crime novels of P. D. James(445 more words not shown)
The author refers to the(19 more words not shown)
- Aillustrate James's gift(3 more words not shown)
- Bhighlight James's interest(3 more words not shown)
- Callow the reader(7 more words not shown)
- Dexplain how James(4 more words not shown)
- Eexemplify James's preoccupation(3 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Why bring up the kitchen? The sentence compares the attention James gives its surfaces and smells with the attention she gives the plot. We don't need to know exactly what a patina is to follow that comparison. She's getting absorbed in descriptive details when the detective story needs to move forward.
Working the answers
- A
This isn't offered to show innovative phrasing. The comparison shows where James puts her attention, not how original her wording is.
- B
A country kitchen supplies the example, but the point isn't an interest in rural society. It's description taking priority over plot.
- C
The writer does find pleasure in James's descriptions. Here, though, the discussion has turned to how they interfere with the story. This mistakes a criticism of her priorities for an invitation to enjoy the description.
- D
Describing a kitchen doesn't explain how she constructs a plot; it illustrates what can distract her from it.
- ECorrect
The kitchen receives greater descriptive care than the story’s events (paragraph 3). That exemplifies her preoccupation with description. The problem isn't that descriptive writing is bad; it's that her attention to it can come at the story's expense.
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