Text 1In 1916, H. Dugdale Sykes disputed claims that The Two Noble Kinsmen was coauthored by William Shakespeare and John...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Text 1
In 1916, H. Dugdale Sykes disputed claims that The Two Noble Kinsmen was coauthored by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher. Sykes felt Fletcher's contributions to the play were obvious—Fletcher had a distinct style in his other plays, so much so that lines with that style were considered sufficient evidence of Fletcher's authorship. But for the lines not deemed to be by Fletcher, Sykes felt that their depiction of women indicated that their author was not Shakespeare but Philip Massinger.
Text 2
Scholars have accepted The Two Noble Kinsmen as coauthored by Shakespeare since the 1970s: it appears in all major one-volume editions of Shakespeare's complete works. Though scholars disagree about who wrote what exactly, it is generally held that on the basis of style, Shakespeare wrote all of the first act and most of the last, while John Fletcher authored most of the three middle acts.
Based on the texts, both Sykes in Text 1 and the scholars in Text 2 would most likely agree with which statement?
John Fletcher's writing has a unique, readily identifiable style.
The women characters in John Fletcher's plays are similar to the women characters in Philip Massinger's plays.
The Two Noble Kinsmen belongs in one-volume compilations of Shakespeare's complete plays.
Philip Massinger's style in the first and last acts of The Two Noble Kinsmen is an homage to Shakespeare's style.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Text 1: "In 1916, H. Dugdale Sykes disputed claims that The Two Noble Kinsmen was coauthored by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher." |
|
| "Sykes felt Fletcher's contributions to the play were obvious—Fletcher had a distinct style in his other plays, so much so that lines with that style were considered sufficient evidence of Fletcher's authorship." |
|
| "But for the lines not deemed to be by Fletcher, Sykes felt that their depiction of women indicated that their author was not Shakespeare but Philip Massinger." |
|
| Text 2: "Scholars have accepted The Two Noble Kinsmen as coauthored by Shakespeare since the 1970s: it appears in all major one-volume editions of Shakespeare's complete works." |
|
| "Though scholars disagree about who wrote what exactly, it is generally held that on the basis of style, Shakespeare wrote all of the first act and most of the last, while John Fletcher authored most of the three middle acts." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Two different scholarly perspectives exist on The Two Noble Kinsmen authorship - Sykes (1916) disputed Shakespeare involvement entirely, while modern scholars (1970s+) accept Shakespeare-Fletcher collaboration.
Argument Flow: The passage contrasts historical and contemporary scholarly views. Sykes used Fletcher distinctive style to identify his contributions but attributed non-Fletcher portions to Massinger instead of Shakespeare. Modern scholars also use stylistic analysis but conclude the play represents genuine Shakespeare-Fletcher collaboration with specific act divisions.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? We need to find a statement that both Sykes (Text 1) and the modern scholars (Text 2) would agree with.
What type of answer do we need? A point of agreement between these two different scholarly positions.
Any limiting keywords? "Both" - this means the answer must be something that BOTH parties would accept, despite their disagreements about authorship.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The key similarity between both positions is that they both use stylistic analysis to determine authorship
- Sykes says Fletcher has such a "distinct style" that lines with that style are "sufficient evidence of Fletcher authorship"
- The modern scholars also use "style" as their basis for determining who wrote which acts, specifically identifying Fletcher contributions through stylistic analysis
- So both Sykes and modern scholars would agree that Fletcher writing style is distinctive and identifiable - that is how both groups recognize his contributions to the play
- The right answer should acknowledge Fletcher distinctive, recognizable style
John Fletcher's writing has a unique, readily identifiable style.
✓ Correct - Both Sykes and modern scholars rely on Fletcher distinctive style to identify his contributions
- Sykes explicitly states Fletcher had "a distinct style" that served as "sufficient evidence of Fletcher authorship"
- Modern scholars use style analysis to attribute specific acts to Fletcher
- This matches our prethinking perfectly
The women characters in John Fletcher's plays are similar to the women characters in Philip Massinger's plays.
✗ Incorrect - This focuses on similarities between Fletcher and Massinger female characters
- Only Sykes mentions Massinger; Text 2 scholars do not discuss Massinger at all
- Modern scholars would not have an opinion on this comparison
The Two Noble Kinsmen belongs in one-volume compilations of Shakespeare's complete plays.
✗ Incorrect - This states the play belongs in Shakespeare collections
- Sykes disputed Shakespeare involvement entirely - he would not agree the play belongs in Shakespeare complete works
- Only the modern scholars accept this view
Philip Massinger's style in the first and last acts of The Two Noble Kinsmen is an homage to Shakespeare's style.
✗ Incorrect - This suggests Massinger wrote the first and last acts as homage to Shakespeare
- Modern scholars attribute those acts to Shakespeare himself, not Massinger
- This contradicts the modern scholarly consensus entirely