PrepTest 130, Section 4, Question 17
Critic: Works of modern literature cannot be tragedies(55 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AWhether or not(15 more words not shown)
- BThe belief that(8 more words not shown)
- CMost plays that(7 more words not shown)
- DThose whose endeavors(14 more words not shown)
- EIf an ignoble(20 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The critic's use of “tragedy” is more specific than simply a sad story. The protagonist must be seen as possessing nobility that endures through calamity. Think of dignity or admirable character, rather than assuming the protagonist must belong to a royal family.
That gives us a requirement for tragedy. But the conclusion introduces a different idea: people no longer take seriously the belief that human endeavors are governed by fate. What does that tell us about whether a protagonist can be viewed as noble? Someone could reject fate and still admire a character's dignity through misfortune.
What we’re looking for
The required assumption must connect those ideas. To use the loss of belief in fate to rule out modern tragedy, the critic needs it to undermine the perception of nobility that tragedy requires. Without that connection, the premise about the age's beliefs does not establish the conclusion.
Working the answers
- A
This is a claim about what a literary classification should depend on. The critic is reasoning from how people view a character and fate to whether modern tragedy is possible. A does not connect those perceptions; denying that audience characteristics should matter does not supply the missing link.
- B
The argument concerns whether belief in fate is taken seriously, not whether fate really governs human life. A belief could be true and widely rejected, or false and widely accepted. The critic does not need its actual falsity to reason about how characters are perceived.
- C
The argument does not need most earlier classifications to have been mistaken. Ancient works could have been genuine tragedies while changing beliefs prevented contemporary works from meeting the critic's requirement. C adds a historical claim that does not connect fate with nobility.
- DCorrect
This connects the missing terms. If a character's endeavors are not regarded as governed by fate, the character will not be seen as noble. Without that perceived nobility, the stated requirement for tragedy cannot be met. The critic's conclusion depends on carrying the change in belief about fate across to this required perception of the protagonist.
- E
Watch “a character.” The requirement concerns the protagonist, not every character in the work. A story could contain an ignoble antagonist who suffers misfortunes while its protagonist remains noble. E would rule that story out for a reason the critic never gives. It also leaves the fate-to-nobility connection missing.
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