PrepTest 136, Section 3, Question 11
Passage A Readers, like writers, need to search(481 more words not shown)
Passage A(227 more words not shown)
Passage B(262 more words not shown)
The phrase "scholarly monographs that(41 more words not shown)
- A"Writing is at(11 more words not shown)
- B"Conformity is a(17 more words not shown)
- C"Lawyers write as(14 more words not shown)
- D"every case has(14 more words not shown)
- E"Still, even mere(18 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
The quoted phrase describes scholarly books as draining history of life. Its role is to make the problem vivid: the writing feels lifeless and fails to engage people. Look for a phrase in B that similarly characterizes what is wrong with existing writing.
What we’re looking for
The surrounding sentence also discusses teaching, but that is not the entire phrase we've been asked to match. Keep the difference between describing a bad habit and explaining how people acquire it in view.
Working the answers
- A
This establishes writing's importance to legal work. It doesn't describe the defect in that writing, as the phrase about draining history's vitality does.
- BCorrect
The list emphasizes uniformity, suppressed creativity, absent humor and muted voice. Like A's phrase, it paints a picture of lifeless professional writing. Both phrases help establish the problem to which narrative might offer a response.
- C
This explains imitation: lawyers learn their writing habits from other lawyers. That relates to A's surrounding discussion of passing habits on through education, which makes it tempting. But the specified phrase characterizes the uninspiring writing itself; it doesn't describe that process of imitation.
- D
This identifies the human story available within a legal case. It helps explain the promise of narrative rather than depicting the current writing's lack of vitality.
- E
This expresses hope that awareness of narrative could help. It concerns the possible corrective, while A's quoted phrase describes the problem that needs correcting.
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