summary

para1: readers are able to distinguish writing styles of different writers
para 2: though these writing styles doesn't give away about the real life of the writers, but the readers often interpret it as the writer itself
para 3: it is the writers who paint figment of their imagination that is writing the work
para 4: these pigmentation often overpower over our mind, so the best way of reading the book is to take in what important and disregard what's not


A1: A. The writer, through his or her works, is the one who creates a fabricated image of him- or herself. = para 3
A2: B. exercising a significant effect on the way in which the reader engages with the text = para 4
A3: A. the reader conjures up an interpretation of the writer that is not tantamount to the actual writer = para 2its explanation is given in para 3
A4: C. offer a claim regarding how a reader interfaces with a writer = para 4

Official Explanation

Question 3

Answer: (A)

The author already creates an image of him or herself so it does not make sense to say that a reader can arbitrarily ascribe characteristics to the writer. This supports (A).

(B) is wrong because the passage does not talk about readers trying to decipher meanings. For the reader, creating figments is an inevitable part of reading, not something he/she intentionally does.

(C) is tempting because it creates a logical answer to the sentence. However, it does not directly answer the question, and it is not well supported in the passage, as shown by "This figment of the author may coexist with...the 'figure of the author.'"

(D) is not supported anywhere in the passage.

While the passage does talk about the writer projecting a self forward, nowhere does it say that such an effort comes up short. Therefore (E) is incorrect.


FAQ: Why is (C) wrong? The passage says, "What I fabricate is an image of her that has slowly formed in my mind..." This is a distorted image, right?

A: The problem with (C) is that it's not very well supported in the passage. We have a sentence in the passage that conflicts with (C): "This figment of the author may coexist with, but should never be mistaken for, the 'figure of the author.'"

We don't know, exactly, that a "distorted view" comes out of the figment (the "image" fabricated in the sentence you mentioned). We only know that the figment is not the same as knowing the author. The figment might actually be an accurate picture of the writer, but we can't assume they are the same thing. To say that the figment is typically a "distorted view" is too strong. The sentence you point out only describes the process of forming an image of the author.


FAQ: I think (A) is wrong. The Passage says: "I do not mean by this that I am making her up or attributing qualities to her that she may not indeed possess." This is clearly inconsistent.

A: This is definitely a tricky question, because it revolves around three different aspects of a writer: the actual writer as a person, the character of himself/herself which the author creates while writing, and the reader's interpretation of that character (the "figment"). The sentence you quoted, "I do not mean...not indeed possess," says that the reader is not arbitrarily attributing traits to the author. But then the passage continues.

Answer choice (A) is reflected in the next part of the passage: "What I fabricate is an image of her that has slowly formed in my mind—a figment I call it—from the impressions, some more concrete than others, that I collect as I am reading her. This figment of the author may coexist with, but should never be mistaken for, the “figure of the author.”

That is, the reader creates an image based on the author's self-image. And that is not necessarily an accurate picture of the real author.


FAQ: I don't quite understand the meaning of each paragraph. I struggle understanding the passage. Can you help?

A: Happy to help. Here is an outline of the passage:

I. Writers can have a "DNA" that comes from certain characteristics of their writing style and work.

II. However, just because we read an author's work doesn't mean we really know them. In fact, the author we imagine might not even be real ("a figment of our imagination").

III. For example, when I am reading a book by Virginia Woolf, I start imagining things about her based on what she writes about. She purposely writes about certain things in a certain way so that I start creating an image of her in my mind that influences my reading of her work.

IV. Woolf actually advises that you try to "become" the author, but admits that it can be hard to do so.

I believe the answer to q. 4 is C and not D because the passage is primarily concerned with discussing how a reader's figment of the author (a subjective creation) affects the way they view the author and how it "ultimately affect(s) our intellectual and emotional relation to what we are reading" (paragraph 4).

I don't think the passage talks about any incongruities between a writer and the reader's perception of them. Perhaps this sentence in paragraph 3, where it says "this figment of the author may coexist with, but should never be mistaken for, the “figure of the author." might've thrown you off. I think this sentence goes back to paragraph 2 where it says "we can never know the person who writes directly through her writing" and "the person who writes never appears to us except as a figment of our imagination."

Hope that helps!

Can anyone provide the answer for the 2nd question??

Answer or explanation ??

The OA is provided.

Please clarify.

Regards

Can someone explain why C is correct and not D for the 4th question, please?