PrepTest 155, Section 4, Question 6
Critic: Linsey has been judged to be a(40 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(10 more words not shown)
- ALinsey is a(2 more words not shown)
- BThe view that(8 more words not shown)
- CThe writings of(7 more words not shown)
- DMany modern novelists(7 more words not shown)
- ELinsey's talent as(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Does what works in a novel necessarily work in a song? The critic says Linsey shouldn't be judged a bad songwriter merely because her lyrics are disjointed and subjective. The support is that many respected modern novelists write that way too. I can see the comparison, but songwriting and novel writing may have different demands. A feature that works well in a long novel might not work as well in a song.
What we’re looking for
That's an objection we could raise to the support. The question, though, asks what the critic concludes. We need to identify the claim being defended even if we aren't persuaded by the defense. The point is that the judgment against Linsey is ill founded: the reason given doesn't adequately support calling her a bad songwriter. That is more limited than declaring her a good songwriter. We can challenge someone's evidence for a negative judgment without proving the opposite judgment true.
Working the answers
- A
This goes too far. The critic attacks the basis for calling Linsey bad but doesn't establish that she is good. Perhaps a different criticism would show that she is a poor songwriter. The argument only says this particular judgment is poorly supported.
- BCorrect
'Poorly supported' captures 'ill founded.' The critic thinks people haven't given a good enough reason for their judgment of Linsey. The comparison with respected novelists is offered to support that objection to the judgment.
- C
The critic does say that many modern novelists write in a disjointed and subjective way. But why bring that up? To argue that those features don't adequately justify condemning Linsey. C gives us part of the comparison used as evidence, not the point the comparison is meant to support.
- D
These novelists' good reputations are the other part of the evidence. Having the same features as Linsey would do little for the critic's case if everyone thought the novelists were bad writers too. Their reputations help support the challenge to the judgment; they aren't the conclusion.
- E
The critic never ranks Linsey's talent against the novelists' talent. Two writers can share a feature without being equally talented, and we aren't given a comparison of their overall abilities. The argument questions a reason for dismissing Linsey; it doesn't establish that she is at least as talented as these other writers.
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