PrepTest 103, Section 3, Question 20
Only poetry cannot be translated well, and therefore(50 more words not shown)
The information above provides the(8 more words not shown)
- AAll nonpoetic literature(4 more words not shown)
- BOne purpose of(12 more words not shown)
- CSome translations do(10 more words not shown)
- DThe beauty of(19 more words not shown)
- EPerfect translation from(7 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Does preserving a language require people to learn it? Couldn't someone at least preserve a written record without learning to use the language?
The author gives a particular account of preservation: poetry loses something in translation, so people have a reason to learn the original language to appreciate its beauty. That continuing interest in the language is the contribution the author credits to poets.
I can follow that account and still question how much motivation a poem provides. If appreciating a Latin poem requires learning Latin, would that make the effort worthwhile to someone who doesn't care much about the poem? A reason to learn isn't automatically enough to make every reader do it.
What we’re looking for
But the question asks which answer receives the least support from the passage. That changes the task. We aren't choosing the best objection to the argument. We need to compare the five statements with what the author actually says and identify the one that adds a claim the passage hasn't supported.
Working the answers
- A
The opening says only poetry cannot be translated well. That singles out poetry as the exception, so the claim that nonpoetic literature can be translated well follows from the author's own statement. Whether we agree with that sweeping statement in real life isn't the task.
- BCorrect
Preserving a language is described as an effect of poetry. Is it also a purpose the poet intends to accomplish? The passage doesn't say. A poet could write to express a feeling or tell a story, with preservation of the language occurring as a byproduct.
This is easy to miss because the passage explicitly says poets preserve languages. But “one purpose of writing poetry” adds the writer's goal. Something can have an effect without being done for that effect. B receives the least support because it turns the described consequence into an intention.
- C
The passage says we cannot fully witness poetry's beauty outside its original language. That supports the claim that some translations fail to capture everything expressed in the original. The limits of poetry translation are part of the author's stated reason people have to learn languages.
- D
If the beauty of a poem is accessible only in its original language, someone who doesn't understand that language cannot immediately appreciate that beauty through a translation. This closely tracks the author's explanation of the motivation for learning the language.
- E
Poetry provides the stated example. If it cannot even be translated well, it cannot always be translated perfectly. E's claim that perfect translation is sometimes impossible is supported by the limit the author places on translating poetry.
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