PrepTest 126, Section 4, Question 4
In his book, published in 1892, Grey used(41 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(6 more words not shown)
- AA text that(19 more words not shown)
- BThe passage in(21 more words not shown)
- CBoth Grey's book(9 more words not shown)
- DJordan used the(14 more words not shown)
- EAccording to most(15 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Maybe Grey and Jordan both got the metaphor from someone else.
Jordan used it in 1885, and Grey used it in 1892. The metaphor is unusual enough that two people probably didn't invent it independently. That makes a shared origin plausible. It doesn't tell us that Jordan was the origin.
Imagine an earlier writer, Billy Bob, used the metaphor. Jordan reads Billy Bob and borrows it. Grey also reads Billy Bob and borrows it. Now the two books contain the same unusual metaphor, but Grey never needed to read Jordan's book. Everything we're told about the dates and the unusual wording could still be true.
What we’re looking for
For the weaken question, I'd look for that third source. We don't need to argue that the resemblance is a coincidence. We can grant that an independent invention is unlikely and still question which book Grey got the metaphor from.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
The 1860 text supplies our earlier source, and both writers probably knew it. Grey could have encountered the metaphor there, just as Jordan could have. That explains the shared wording without requiring Grey to have read Jordan's 1885 book. It doesn't prove he never read her book; it weakens the argument that the metaphor makes that reading highly likely.
- B
A writer can borrow a metaphor and use it to express a different idea. Grey's passage doesn't have to make Jordan's larger point for him to have encountered her wording. B distinguishes the surrounding ideas without giving us a different source for the unusual metaphor itself.
- C
The intended audience doesn't tell us where either writer found the metaphor. Books for the same readers could share a source, copy each other, or have no direct connection. This doesn't challenge the author's account of Grey's exposure to Jordan's book.
- D
Jordan's later reuse doesn't explain Grey's earlier use. Her work published in 1895 comes after Grey's 1892 book. We already know she used the metaphor in 1885; learning that she used it again doesn't show where Grey got it.
- E
General inventiveness doesn't establish that Grey independently invented this particular metaphor. The premise already tells us that separate invention of this unusual expression is unlikely. Grey could create many original metaphors and still borrow this one. A offers a specific alternative source; E offers a general reputation that leaves the argument's explanation in place.
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