Historians have long recognized the Japanese sword as one of

[rustom.hakimiyan]

Historians have long recognized the Japanese sword as one of the finest cutting weapons ever created. But to consider the sword that is synonymous with the samurai as merely a weapon is to ignore what makes it so special. The Japanese sword has always been considered a splendid weapon and even a spiritual entity. The traditional Japanese saying "The sword is the soul of the samurai" not only reflects the sword's importance to its wielder but also is indicative of its importance to its creator, the master smith.

Master smiths may not have been considered artists in the classical sense, but every one of them took great care in how he created a sword, and no sword was created in exactly the same way. The forging process of the blade itself took hundreds of hours as two types of steel were heated, hammered and folded together many times. This created a blade consisting of thousands of very thin layers that had an extremely sharp and durable cutting edge; at the same time, the blade was flexible and therefore less likely to break. It was common, though optional, for a master smith to place a physical Signature on a blade; in addition, every master smith had a "structural signature" due to his own secret forging process. Each master smith brought a high level of devotion, skill, and attention to detail to the sword-making process, and the sword itself was a reflection of his personal honor and ability. This effort made each blade as unique as the samurai who wielded it; today the Japanese sword is recognized as much for its artistic merit as for its historical significance.


5. One function of the second paragraph of the passage is to
(A) present an explanation for a change in perception
(B) determine the historical significance of Japanese swords
(C) explain why each Japanese sword is unique
(0) compare Japanese master smiths to classical artists
(E) review the complete process of making a Japanese sword

Hi,

I have a question regarding this problem in the MGMAT study guide.(Not sure if this is the right place to post this)

I picked A over C but can't figure out why that's wrong.

My reasoning was as follows: The first sentence says "Smiths weren't considered artists but everyone took great care xxx". The paragraph gives examples of how the smith's spent a lot of time and attention to the the sword making process. And the paragraph ended with "today the xx is recognized as much for its artistic merit as for xxx"

Don't these 3 things show the purpose of the passage, it's internal conclusion so to speak? It also ties into the first paragraph where they state that the sword was very special, not just because of it's cutting habit but also because it was a "splendid" weapon, which i thought could also be considered as a "artsy" piece.

I felt that C was too narrow and didn't grasp the scope of the whole passage either.

[RonPurewal]

5. One function of the second paragraph of the passage is to...

"one function" implies that there's more than one function but we're discussing just one.

[RonPurewal]

if you were looking for something all-encompassing, you'd see "the function".

[GauravG38]

Isn't (A) also "one" of the function of the 2nd paragraph? How do I then eliminate A?

Also,
In 6th ed, of Manhattan prep GMAT: RC on page 65, same option choices are given and "primary purpose for the 2nd para" is asked. Even in this case correct answer is mentioned as (C) on page 73.
The explanation for eliminating (A) is:

(A) The passage does not indicate that a general change in perception has occurred. Rather, the author is putting forth his own idea that smiths might be considered artists. (Out of scope)

But this is clearly wrong as this can be clearly inferred from last lines of 2nd para that a "general perception has changed" about the swords which are recognized for their artistic merit today (but not earlier) because of reasons explained earlier in the 2nd para..
Please clarify in case i am missing something here.

Thanks.

[cgentry]

I actually agree with your objection to the explanation as stated in the Strategy Guide, but I still believe the correct answer is C.

Since this question now asks for the primary purpose, we need to be cautious of this kind of trap: two choices that each state something that actually occurs in the paragraph.

(A) states something that the paragraph does: the first line "master smiths may not have been considered artists in the classical sense" contrasted with the last line "today the Japanese sword is recognized as much for its artistic merit as for its historical significance" does indicate a change in perception.

(C) also states something that the paragraph does. Much of the text of the second paragraph is devoted to the aspects of the sword that would make it a work of art.

So how do we choose one over the other? We place the 2nd paragraph, and our two competing choices, in the context of the purpose of the passage as a whole. (Remember, we're deciding on the primary purpose.) This means the decision now is whether we think the passage as a whole focuses on the change in perception or on the special nature of the sword?

The first paragraph in conjunction with the 2nd paragraph indicate that the focus of the passage as a whole is on what makes the Japanese sword so special. "But to regard the sword ... as merely a weapon is to ignore what makes it so special." This is why I would select C over A.