Q11

[T.housman31]

Can someone explain why B is correct? I chose C for some reason thinking it was more parallel, but I just dont get it!

[noah]

First step is to identify the role of lines 6-7. The role that phrase plays is to characterize the academic style of writing as used in history.

In the second passage, (B) does the same thing.

(A) is not a description of the writing, but a placement of writing within the craft.
(C) discusses how lawyers end up writing this way, but it doesn't describe actually how they write.
(D) is not describing the writing but the role of the writing.
(E) is a suggestion on how to improve things -- not a description.

Does that help?

[tommyid1]

Thanks for the explanation, Noah. However, I see choice B as being correct for a different reason. Please let me know your thoughts.

I don't see the line referred to in B as a criticism. The second passage says, "Legal writing, because of the purposes it serves, is necessarily ruled by..." and then states the line referred to in B.

The line referred to in choice C ends with, "they too often write badly." I think C sounds more like a criticism.

The author of the first passage criticizes academic historians for doing something bad to history. Line B refers to a description of a necessity of legal writing, which isn't bad; it just serves the purpose.

I think B is correct because both lines describe a characteristic of the main issue. Passage A is describing the academic historian approach (involving scholarly monographs) while B is describing legal writing (where conformity is a virtue, creativity suspect, etc...)

[noah]

Good points! I think you're right - Passage B isn't serving as a criticism of academic writing as much as detailing how it's come to be that lawyers write in the dry style that they do, and how the push towards narrative writing will fit into this.

I'll go back and edit my explanation a bit. Thanks!

[farhadshekib]

What about this?

if (C) is correct, then (B) would also have to be correct.

(B) is preceded by "legal writing... [leads to a] path without diversions, surprises, or reversals. Conformity is a virtue, creativity suspect, humor forbidden and voice mute".

(C) simply states that "Lawyers write as they see other lawyers write".

But (C) is already incorporated into (B); however, B also describes how conformity impacts legal writing, while (C) does not.

Since we cannot have 2 correct answers, (C) has to be wrong...

Thoughts?

[noah]

I like that line of inquiry, but I'm not feeling it on this one.

We're trying to match something that says--basically--that academic writing sucks. (C) is about how this tradition continues, not why it sucks. (B) explains that it sucks.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see (B) incorporating (C).

[redcobra21]

Thanks for the helpful responses, Noah. Sorry to beat a dead horse but I've got another question about (C).

If you take a look at the line before 6-7 that provides some context, it is clear that the "scholarly monographs" is a response to WHY there is a "perniciousness of the historiographic approach" (because historians require undergrads to read these monographs). Likewise, for (C), it looked like the quoted phrase is a reference to WHY this style of writing exists (because lawyers imitate what other lawyers do).

My question is: for #11, do they literally mean to only consider EXACTLY what is quoted, or do they mean what function the quoted phrase is supposed to play in each text (which is, of course, dependent on context)? If the former, I get why (B) would be correct. But if the latter, I'm not sure why (C) is wrong.

[noah]

Thanks for the helpful responses, Noah. Sorry to beat a dead horse but I've got another question about (C).

If you take a look at the line before 6-7 that provides some context, it is clear that the "scholarly monographs" is a response to WHY there is a "perniciousness of the historiographic approach" (because historians require undergrads to read these monographs). Likewise, for (C), it looked like the quoted phrase is a reference to WHY this style of writing exists (because lawyers imitate what other lawyers do).

My question is: for #11, do they literally mean to only consider EXACTLY what is quoted, or do they mean what function the quoted phrase is supposed to play in each text (which is, of course, dependent on context)? If the former, I get why (B) would be correct. But if the latter, I'm not sure why (C) is wrong.

Interesting question.

However, I don't see how the scholarly monographs are explaining how this all came to be. That's not the role of the phrase "scholarly monographs...history." The quoted bit is describing the writing, not how it gets passed around. If the quoted text had been about visiting on students what was visited on them, then I'd be more attracted to (C).