PrepTest 149, Section 3, Question 12
In a scene in an ancient Greek play,(45 more words not shown)
Of the following claims, which(13 more words not shown)
- AIn ancient Greek(15 more words not shown)
- BThe character of(10 more words not shown)
- CIn ancient Greek(15 more words not shown)
- DIn ancient Greece,(7 more words not shown)
- EOnly rarely in(9 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
He can read the prophecy, but his companion still wants to know what it says.
That doesn't tell us the prophecy is true. Demosthenes could be amazed by a prediction that never happens. Nor does the companion's question prove the companion can't read. Perhaps the tablet is being held where only Demosthenes can see it.
We don't have an argument to attack here, just a scene to understand. Demosthenes looks at the writing and reacts; the companion asks for information; Demosthenes then explains the contents.
What we’re looking for
For the claim we can most justifiably reject, I'd look for something that conflicts with what that sequence shows. A claim that Demosthenes couldn't read would be hard to reconcile with it, for example. I don't yet have one precise statement to predict.
Working the answers
- A
The scene doesn't tell us what audiences generally presume about characters' literacy. It gives us this character reading and a companion asking about the contents. That doesn't conflict with a general presumption that characters can read: the companion could simply lack a view of the tablet.
- B
Nothing tells us whether Demosthenes was based on a historical person. A fictional scene can involve a historically based character, and a wholly invented character can perform the same actions. We can't reject B from this description.
- C
Reading aloud could be common in Greek plays even if a particular scene involved silent reading. 'Commonly' doesn't mean in every case. This one exchange doesn't give us grounds for denying the broader frequency claim.
- DCorrect
Why would the companion need an explanation if Demosthenes had already read the contents aloud? The exchange makes sense if Demosthenes is reading to himself, reacting with amazement, and only later telling the companion what the tablet says. Expressing amazement isn't the same as reading the prophecy aloud. That makes this scene evidence against the sweeping claim that people in ancient Greece didn't read silently. We aren't establishing how often silent reading occurred; we're identifying the claim this description most directly calls into question.
- E
Something rare can still happen in this scene. One prophecy written on a tablet doesn't tell us that doing so was common. The description provides an instance, not a rate, so it doesn't justify rejecting 'only rarely.'
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