GRE Question of the Day (May 20th)

Verbal

Verbal patterns in four works known to be written by a certain author were compared to those in a work of uncertain authorship sometimes attributed to that author. Many patterns were studied, including frequency of specific words and recurrence of certain phrases. The questioned work displayed verbal patterns very similar to those in the other four works, establishing that the same author wrote all five.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the conclusion above?

(A) No two writers are likely to display similar verbal patterns in their works.
(B) Writers from different historical periods sometimes use the same words and phrases, but the meanings of such words and phrases change over time.
(C) Many writers consciously attempt to experiment with innovative verbal patterns in each new work.
(D) A relatively small number of words in any language occur with great frequency, and those words make up the largest portion of all discourse.
(E) Word choice is generally considered an insignificant component of an author's style

Question Discussion & Explanation