Arthurian legends (tales related to the character of King Arthur) derive from many sources, such as Vita Sancti Cadoci, composed...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Arthurian legends (tales related to the character of King Arthur) derive from many sources, such as Vita Sancti Cadoci, composed in the 11th century, and Culhwch and Olwen from the second half of the 12th century. One of the most significant sources, Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain, was written in the 1130s; some material from it was later adapted by the Norman poet Wace into the Roman de Brut in 1155. But Wace didn't merely adapt History, he added to it as well, introducing the famous Round Table at which Arthur's knights assembled, which suggests that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
Roman de Brut is more historically accurate than History, because Culhwch and Olwen had not been written when Geoffrey of Monmouth was writing his work.
Geoffrey of Monmouth was unaware of stories of the Round Table when composing his History, though historians know that works containing such stories were available to him.
Geoffrey of Monmouth's accounts of Arthurian legends in his History are more similar overall in content to the accounts in Culhwch and Olwen than they are to the accounts in Roman de Brut.
the Arthurian legends that the author of Vita Sancti Cadoci drew on would not have featured the Round Table.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Arthurian legends derive from many sources, such as Vita Sancti Cadoci, composed in the 11th century, and Culhwch and Olwen from the second half of the 12th century.' |
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| 'One of the most significant sources, Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain, was written in the 1130s;' |
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| 'some material from it was later adapted by the Norman poet Wace into the Roman de Brut in 1155.' |
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| 'But Wace didn't merely adapt History, he added to it as well, introducing the famous Round Table at which Arthur's knights assembled,' |
|
| 'which suggests that ______' |
|
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Key insight: If Wace ADDED the Round Table to his adaptation, this means Geoffrey's original work didn't include it
- If Geoffrey's 1130s work lacked the Round Table, then even earlier sources would be even less likely to have featured this element
- The logic works backwards through time
Roman de Brut is more historically accurate than History, because Culhwch and Olwen had not been written when Geoffrey of Monmouth was writing his work.
Claims Roman de Brut is more historically accurate - unsupported and misses the Round Table point
- ✗ Incorrect
Geoffrey of Monmouth was unaware of stories of the Round Table when composing his History, though historians know that works containing such stories were available to him.
Suggests Geoffrey was unaware of available Round Table stories - introduces unsupported information
- ✗ Incorrect
Geoffrey of Monmouth's accounts of Arthurian legends in his History are more similar overall in content to the accounts in Culhwch and Olwen than they are to the accounts in Roman de Brut.
Claims Geoffrey's accounts are more similar to Culhwch and Olwen - no textual support for this comparison
- ✗ Incorrect
the Arthurian legends that the author of Vita Sancti Cadoci drew on would not have featured the Round Table.
Suggests earlier sources like Vita Sancti Cadoci wouldn't have included the Round Table - logically follows from Wace's addition
- ✓ Correct