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In modern literary history, both budding and well-establishe
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30 Sep 2018, 11:14
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In modern literary history, both budding and well-established authors have used secondary careers as book reviewers to hone their craft. George Orwell stands out as perhaps the most notable example with his prolific career as both a book reviewer and author. Analysis of his critiques of contemporaneous works offers insight into his belief that his personal world view should be reflected in the writings of his peers. Unrivaled in his keen insight into the core arguments of the seminal works of his time, Orwell was adept at pointing out fatal flaws in logic and never hesitated to enumerate what was wanting, even at the cost of infuriating other authors, both foes and friends. Indeed, Orwell's review of H. G. Wells' Mind at the End of Its Tether led to the end of their friendship, a fact in which there is a tinge of irony. While Orwell casts Wells' work as a disjointed and pessimistic diatribe about a bleak future, the description rings eerily similar to some reviews of Orwell's own masterpiece, 1984.
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79% (02:33) correct
21% (01:42) wrong based on 90 sessions
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1. The author of the passage would likely agree with each of the following statements about George Orwell EXCEPT:
A) Orwell critiqued the works of many of his contemporaries. B) Orwell valued journalistic integrity over personal relationships. C) In 1984, Orwell delved into some of the same bleak themes that Wells did in Mind at the End of Its Tether. D) Orwell's reviews had greater literary value than his novels. E) Orwell was skilled at dissecting the key ideas presented in other authors' works.
Question 2
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55% (00:34) correct
45% (00:41) wrong based on 89 sessions
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Consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.
2. Which of the following statements accurately describes Orwell's approach to reviewing books?
A) Objective criticism tempered by mutual admiration B) Invective-laden diatribe prompted by a competitive nature C) Insightful analysis unswayed by personal attachment
Question 3
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58% (00:58) correct
42% (00:58) wrong based on 65 sessions
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3. According to the passage, Orwell's review of Mind at the End of Its Tether:
A) ironically led to record sales of Mind at the End of Its Tether. B) cast in a negative light themes that he addressed in his novel 1984. C) was irrelevant because it lacked a clear understanding of Wells' core argument. D) is a testament to his singular focus on pointing out flaws in the works of his contemporaries. E) marked the pinnacle of his prolific career as a book reviewer.
Re: In modern literary history, both budding and well-establishe
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01 Oct 2018, 15:42
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D, C, B.
1. This is an except question, so it is asking which answer would the author not necessarily agree with. Every answer but D is mentioned in the text, so the answer is D, that the author wouldn't necessarily agree that orwell was a better reviewer than a writer (the text only mentions the author saying he was good at both).
2. Orwell was not tempered in his reviews. Don't be tricked by B using the word "diatribe." The text says that orwell called Wells' book a diatribe, not he himself giving a diatribe. Furthermore, competition isn't mentioned as being anything to do with his reviewing habits. The answer is only C.
3. None of these statements except for B are substantiated in the author's text, which itself is mentioned in the last sentence of the text. The answer is B.
Re: In modern literary history, both budding and well-establishe
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05 Nov 2018, 09:59
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Please explain this statement and the third problem.
"While Orwell casts Wells' work as a disjointed and pessimistic diatribe about a bleak future, the description rings eerily similar to some reviews of Orwell's own masterpiece, 1984."
My understanding -> Although Orwell was criticizing the Well's work, Orwell's own work which is 1984 had this flaw.
From this understanding, it seems that the correct answer for 3rd is D (Orwell's to much focus on finding flaws in other's wrok).
Re: In modern literary history, both budding and well-establishe
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25 Nov 2019, 16:59
Expert Reply
D is tricky
The passage says
Quote:
While Orwell casts Wells' work as a disjointed and pessimistic diatribe about a bleak future, the description rings eerily similar to some reviews of Orwell's own masterpiece, 1984.
Basically Orwell made a critique of Well's work but then his work in 1984 was quite similar to the same critiques.
D) is a testament to his singular focus on pointing out flaws in the works of his contemporaries.
We do not know so much information if it was his last review. The word testament suggests this.
Re: In modern literary history, both budding and well-establishe
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16 Apr 2020, 19:17
I do not think that question 3 is a good question. Orwell didn't necessarily address the issue in his novel. In fact in the previous statement is says that it was ironic that this was also a problem in his own work.
Re: In modern literary history, both budding and well-establishe
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17 Apr 2020, 04:37
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GeneralL wrote:
I do not think that question 3 is a good question. Orwell didn't necessarily address the issue in his novel. In fact in the previous statement is says that it was ironic that this was also a problem in his own work.
Interested to hear how the excepts respond.
It is ironic that the flaws Orwell pointed out in the novel also present in his novels. So that points to option B.
Re: In modern literary history, both budding and well-establishe
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22 Aug 2021, 12:42
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I was also stuck between choice B and choice D, but chose B as it "felt more correct."
In retrospect, I have come to the conclusion that choice D is an inference that could be made based in the material in the paragraph and not something that is directly stated. Choice B however, is directly stated in the last sentence in the paragraph and is thus the best candidate for being the correct answer.
Re: In modern literary history, both budding and well-establishe
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12 Apr 2024, 14:17
Expert Reply
Official Explanation #1
For this Inference EXCEPT question, examine each answer choice in light of the passage. The fourth sentence points out that Orwell reviewed “the seminal works of his time,” which would be the books written by his contemporaries. The author would thus agree with the statement in (A), so it can be eliminated. The last two sentences show that Orwell’s negative review of Wells’ final work led to the end of their friendship, so ( B) is out. The final sentence shows that the pessimistic view of the future in Wells’ work is similar to that presented in Orwell’s 1984. The author would also agree with the statement in ( C), so eliminate it as well. While the passage highlights Orwell’s work as a reviewer, it states that he had a “prolific career as both a book reviewer and author.” There is no evidence in the passage to support the idea that Orwell’s work as a reviewer outweighed his work as an author. The author of the passage would not agree with this statement, so ( D) is correct. The fourth sentence eliminates (E). The phrase “unrivaled in his keen insight into the core arguments of the seminal works of his time” is another way to say that Orwell was skilled at dissecting the key ideas presented in the work of other authors.
Re: In modern literary history, both budding and well-establishe
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12 Apr 2024, 14:18
Expert Reply
Official Explanation #2
All-that-apply questions require consideration of each of the answer choices separately. In (A), objective criticism does describe Orwell’s approach, but the second part of the statement— that the criticism was tempered by mutual admiration— is proved false by Orwell’s negative review of his friend Wells’ work and the subsequent end of their friendship. Eliminate ( A). The “invective-laden diatribe” in (B) is an unnecessarily extreme reference to Orwell’s review of Wells’ book. While it may be true that Orwell felt some competitive rivalry with his contemporaries, there is no evidence for this idea in the passage. Eliminate ( B). The passage mentions both Orwell’s “unrivaled keen insight” and the fact that he did not allow his friendship with Wells to affect the review that he wrote. Therefore, there is support in the passage for both parts of statement ( C), making this choice the only correct answer.
Re: In modern literary history, both budding and well-establishe
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12 Apr 2024, 14:20
Expert Reply
Official Explanation #3
This question asks for an accurate description of the effects of Orwell’s review of Mind at the End of Its Tether. The last two sentences of the passage talk about how the review ended Orwell and Wells’ friendship and the irony of Orwell’s negative review of the book given its similarities to his own novel, 1984. (B) is correct because it picks up on the fact that Orwell’s negative review of Mind at the End of Its Tether addressed themes also found in 1984. ( A) is incorrect because sales of Mind at the End of Its Tether are not mentioned in the passage. (C), (D), and (E) all use extreme language—“ irrelevant,” “singular,” and “pinnacle”— that is not supported in the passage.
gmatclubot
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