Question
S1: Thomas Carlyle’s On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History, published in 1841, has many critics, who contend that Carlyle overemphasizes the role of the individual in shaping historical events and that his doing so results from his carelessness of thought and willingness to arrive at conclusions based on scant evidence. S2: Some of these critics have contrasted Carlyle with Buckle, pointing out that, whereas Carlyle gets carried away in a virtual worship of certain “heroic” individuals despite their obvious flaws, Buckle wrote, “In the long run or on the general average of affairs, individuals count for nothing … such men, useful as they were, are only tools by which that work was done.” S3: Regarding historical analysis, critics have noted that Carlyle’s reasoning often relies on strings of barely substantiated hypotheses or even hunches – in On Heroes he suggests that one idea after another is “most probable” given what one can “suppose” – while Buckle considered the work of a historian a science and based his ideas on careful scientific analyses. S4: Yet, Buckle is now largely forgotten, whereas nearly two centuries after the publication of On Heroes, the book is still widely read and discussed, and statues of Carlyle stand in Glasgow and London.
S5: It would be reasonable to believe that Carlyle’s work has endured for so long simply because his accounts of the lives and accomplishments of “great” individuals are engaging to both serious and casual students of history. S6: An alternative possibility is that many whose worldviews resemble that of Carlyle find comfort in reading his work, finding it an energetic affirmation of what they already believe. S7: However, while these factors may play a role in this phenomenon, neither can fully explain why individuals from a wide spectrum of cultures, lifestyles, and schools of thought read, cite, and debate about Carlyle’s book. S8: Thus, what seems most likely is that, regardless of any shortcomings Carlyle’s work may have, it holds a certain attraction because, in his spirited discussion of greatness, Carlyle captures something essential that rings true to and inspires many readers.
Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
A review of a scholarly work is presented and challenged.
A problematic situation is described, and possible causes are considered.
A hypothesis is presented, and support for that hypothesis is offered.
A seemingly paradoxical outcome is presented and explained.
A historical debate is outlined, and judgments regarding that debate are made.
Question
S1: Thomas Carlyle’s On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History, published in 1841, has many critics, who contend that Carlyle overemphasizes the role of the individual in shaping historical events and that his doing so results from his carelessness of thought and willingness to arrive at conclusions based on scant evidence. S2: Some of these critics have contrasted Carlyle with Buckle, pointing out that, whereas Carlyle gets carried away in a virtual worship of certain “heroic” individuals despite their obvious flaws, Buckle wrote, “In the long run or on the general average of affairs, individuals count for nothing … such men, useful as they were, are only tools by which that work was done.” S3: Regarding historical analysis, critics have noted that Carlyle’s reasoning often relies on strings of barely substantiated hypotheses or even hunches – in On Heroes he suggests that one idea after another is “most probable” given what one can “suppose” – while Buckle considered the work of a historian a science and based his ideas on careful scientific analyses. S4: Yet, Buckle is now largely forgotten, whereas nearly two centuries after the publication of On Heroes, the book is still widely read and discussed, and statues of Carlyle stand in Glasgow and London.
S5: It would be reasonable to believe that Carlyle’s work has endured for so long simply because his accounts of the lives and accomplishments of “great” individuals are engaging to both serious and casual students of history. S6: An alternative possibility is that many whose worldviews resemble that of Carlyle find comfort in reading his work, finding it an energetic affirmation of what they already believe. S7: However, while these factors may play a role in this phenomenon, neither can fully explain why individuals from a wide spectrum of cultures, lifestyles, and schools of thought read, cite, and debate about Carlyle’s book. S8: Thus, what seems most likely is that, regardless of any shortcomings Carlyle’s work may have, it holds a certain attraction because, in his spirited discussion of greatness, Carlyle captures something essential that rings true to and inspires many readers.
Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
A review of a scholarly work is presented and challenged.
A problematic situation is described, and possible causes are considered.
A hypothesis is presented, and support for that hypothesis is offered.
A seemingly paradoxical outcome is presented and explained.
A historical debate is outlined, and judgments regarding that debate are made.
Text Solution:
To answer this Passage Organization question, we can consider important points and the functions of sentences and paragraphs in the passage.
Then, we must carefully compare the terminology in the answer choices with what the passage says so that we don’t choose a choice such that part of the choice matches the passage and part doesn’t.
We see that the passage opens by presenting the fact that On Heroes “has many critics,” and the 1st paragraph continues by discussing the views of those critics and their comparison of On Heroes with the work of Buckle.
Then, the 1st paragraph ends by using the Contrast Marker “yet” to present a fact in contrast with the fact that On Heroes “has many critics,” which is that “Buckle is now largely forgotten,” whereas On Heroes “is still widely read and discussed.” So, we can see that the 1st paragraph presents a somewhat paradoxical situation in which a book with “many critics” is nevertheless “widely read and discussed.”
Then, in the 2nd paragraph, the author considers what the “most likely” explanation for that somewhat paradoxical situation is.
The correct answer will accurately capture each of these points.
(A) A review of a scholarly work is presented and challenged.
To avoid choosing this incorrect choice, we can notice that the term “review” does not accurately describe what goes on in the 1st paragraph of the passage. After all, while the 1st paragraph presents the views of some “critics” of Carlyle’s book, those views do not constitute a “review,” which would be a coherent appraisal of the book, not just a few views.
Furthermore, the views of the critics are not “challenged” in the passage. Rather, the author says that the book is “widely read and discussed” and offers some possible explanations for that situation without challenging the views of the critics.
(B) A problematic situation is described, and possible causes are considered.
To avoid choosing this incorrect choice, we can notice that “problematic situation” does not accurately describe the situation described in the 1st paragraph of the passage. After all, the fact that Carlyle’s book is “widely read and discussed” despite having many critics is not a problem. It’s more a puzzling situation.
(C) A hypothesis is presented, and support for that hypothesis is offered.
This choice is incorrect because the term “hypothesis” (supposition) does not accurately describe what’s presented in the 1st paragraph. The 1st paragraph presents facts, not suppositions.
Thus, the second part of this choice, “support for that hypothesis is offered,” is also incorrect, both because the passage does not begin by presenting a “hypothesis” and because the second thing the passage does is not “present support.”
CORRECT ANSWER(D) A seemingly paradoxical outcome is presented and explained.
As we discussed in the introduction to this explanation, the 1st paragraph presents a somewhat paradoxical situation, or “outcome.” Then, in the 2nd paragraph, the author states her conclusion about what the “most likely” explanation for that situation is.
So, we can see that this choice accurately describes the organization of the passage.
(E) A historical debate is outlined, and judgments regarding that debate are made.
To avoid choosing this incorrect choice, we can notice that the term “debate” does not accurately describe what’s presented in the first paragraph. While the passage presents a contrast between the fact that Carlyle’s book “has many critics” and the fact that it is “widely read and discussed,” that contrast does not constitute a “debate” (organized argument).
Also, notice that the 2nd paragraph does not present “judgments.” It presents possible explanations.
