Q8

[shirando21]

I must admit that I am bad at passages about literature.

I picked C, but the correct answer is A.

Can anyone explain the structure of the passage?

Thank you.

[ohthatpatrick]

When you're reading RC passages, actively look for the Most Valuable Sentence (MVS). The MVS changes from passage to passage based on the overall purpose.

It could be:
-the author's overarching thesis statement (if the passage just supports a claim)
-the author's solution to a problem (if the passage discusses a problematic situation)
-the author's opinion on a debate (if the passage discusses a debate between multiple perspectives on an issue)
-the author's point of clarification (if the passage discusses a common misconception or defends someone/something against a common criticism)
-the author's assessment of implications (if the passage discusses how new research/thinking has displaced or called into question an old way of thinking)

These MVS's usually happen after four really important words: but, yet, however, recently.

As you read the 1st paragraph, see if there's a moment when it "turns" from background information/other people's opinions into foreground, i.e. to the author's focus/voice.

If the 1st paragraph stays as background/other people, then the beginning of the 2nd paragraph is often "the turn".

If the passage stays as background/other people for even longer, then the beginning of the last paragraph is usually "the turn".

In this passage, I would see lines 6-10 as the MVS. It doesn't use but/yet/however, but it uses "Although".

It also uses language that clarifies what the author sees as the TRUE emphasis, the TRUE noteworthy characteristic of Kogawa's novel.

Lines 6-10 sound like the type of literary criticism prose that numbs a lot of people's brains.

Just pull out key words/slogans. The author wants us to know that Kogawa uses subtle techniques to
- emphasize her main character's heroism
- critique the majority culture

The following sentence seems to foreshadow the entire structure of the passage.

Lines 10-12 get us primed for what's to come. Apparently, our author wants to show how
- the novel's form emphasizes the main character's heroism
- the novel's symbols critique the majority culture

We've got the whole passage just from this first paragraph.

As we read the topic sentence for the 2nd paragraph, we see that the paragraph is addressing the "form of the novel". As we read this paragraph, we keep in mind that in the Big Picture, the author is trying to convey to us how the form of the novel emphasizes the main character's heroism.

As we read the topic sentence for the 3rd paragraph, we should be expecting that this paragraph will flesh out the 2nd part of the author's main point ... that the novel's symbols critique the majority culture. And indeed this 3rd paragraph begins exactly with that goal in mind.

What I've just conveyed to you is the big picture understanding I would have gleaned from the 1st paragraph and used to usher me through the rest of the paragraph.

All the details in the 2nd and 3rd paragraph are just serving to flesh out this big picture.

For Q8, and for main point questions in general, I always first ask myself, "What was the Most Valuable Sentence? What was the author's purpose?"

Here, I would go back to lines 6-12 and look for a paraphrase of that in my answer.

(A) is a pristine paraphrase of lines 6-12.
"while telling a story of familial disruption" = "although the experience depicted is one of dislocation"
"structure" = "the novel's form"
"symbolism" = "the symbols it employs"
"valorize" = "heroism"
"protagonist" = "major character"
"critique the majority culture" = "critique the majority culture"

(B) "harsh" is too strong. "Emphasizing main character's heroism" is left out.

(C) "primarily" is too strong.

(D) "structure" is mentioned but "symbolism" is not.

(E) "primarily" is too strong.

You may notice how quickly I am shooting down (B), (C), and (E) due to extreme wording. While extreme wording CAN be correct, it is usually not. Unless you can match up that extreme word in the answer choice with a correspondingly strong word in the passage, you shouldn't pick an answer with extreme wording.

Hope this helps.