PrepTest 139, Section 1, Question 25
Literary critic: A folktale is a traditional story(59 more words not shown)
The main conclusion of the(15 more words not shown)
- AAny tale that(18 more words not shown)
- BAny tale that(14 more words not shown)
- CNot every tale(11 more words not shown)
- DAny tale with(18 more words not shown)
- EA story that(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
An entertaining story can still have something to teach us. Think of the tortoise and the hare: the story can be enjoyable while making a point about steady progress and overconfidence.
But showing that a story can have deeper meaning isn't the same as proving that these folktales do. The critic owes us that next step.
We're told generations of storytellers add their own details. I'd initially wonder what kind of details. Adding that the rabbit was a particular color doesn't obviously add wisdom. Still, the critic goes on to state that folktales provide great insight into the culture's wisdom. That claim is being used to support the main point: folktales have deeper meaning.
What we’re looking for
The question asks us to make that main conclusion follow. Focus on the connection from cultural insight to meaning. If a tale that provides insight into a culture's wisdom is deeply meaningful in some respect, the critic's stated support gets us to the conclusion. That's the bridge we need; we don't need to establish that every added detail is wise.
Working the answers
- A
This connects being passed down for generations with the possibility of providing cultural insight. It doesn't connect that insight to deeper meaning, which is the main conclusion. And “can provide” establishes only a possibility, whereas the critic claims these folktales do have deeper meaning.
- BCorrect
The critic says folktales provide insight into the wisdom of a culture. B says any tale with that feature is deeply meaningful in some respect. Together, those statements establish that folktales have deeper meaning. The answer connects the stated supporting claim to the main conclusion directly.
- C
Some stories lacking deep meaning or beauty aren't told solely for entertainment. That doesn't establish whether the folktales discussed here possess deeper meaning. It concerns the purposes of certain stories already described as lacking qualities; it supplies no rule connecting cultural wisdom to meaningfulness.
- D
This goes from deep meaning to cultural insight. We already have the insight, and we're trying to establish the meaning. A rule saying meaningful tales provide insight doesn't tell us that everything providing insight is meaningful. We need B's direction to reach the conclusion from the given support.
- E
This allows entertainment and deeper meaning to coexist, which is a reasonable response to the people mentioned at the beginning. But allowing that combination doesn't establish that folktales actually have deeper meaning. The question requires enough support to reach that conclusion, not merely permission for it to be true.
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