During academic research, a student compiled these notes:Literary experts have extensively argued over the authorship of specific Renaissance poetry, ...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
During academic research, a student compiled these notes:
- Literary experts have extensively argued over the authorship of specific Renaissance poetry, particularly whether William Shakespeare or Christopher Marlowe penned certain works.
- Multiple anonymous texts from this era continue to spark disagreement among scholars specializing in historical literature.
- Dr. Elena Rodriguez created digital tools for examining language patterns in texts with disputed origins.
- Her program analyzed word usage frequencies, grammatical constructions, and stylistic characteristics throughout established works by each writer.
- Rodriguez's examination of "The Passionate Pilgrim" revealed linguistic features that aligned more closely with Marlowe's verified compositional style.
- Her findings indicated that digital analysis provided compelling evidence supporting Marlowe, rather than Shakespeare, as the probable creator of multiple disputed works.
The student seeks to formulate a broad statement about the nature of Dr. Rodriguez's scholarly investigation. Which option best utilizes pertinent details from the notes to achieve this objective?
Rodriguez's digital analysis revealed that Marlowe, instead of Shakespeare, probably wrote multiple disputed Renaissance works.
Academic researchers have employed digital methods to examine authorship questions in period literature.
The program analyzed word usage frequencies, grammatical constructions, and stylistic characteristics to identify compositional patterns.
Digital evidence indicated that "The Passionate Pilgrim" aligned more with Marlowe's compositional style than with Shakespeare's.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Literary experts have extensively argued over the authorship of specific Renaissance poetry, particularly whether William Shakespeare or Christopher Marlowe penned certain works. |
|
| Multiple anonymous texts from this era continue to spark disagreement among scholars specializing in historical literature. |
|
| Dr. Elena Rodriguez created digital tools for examining language patterns in texts with disputed origins. |
|
| Her program analyzed word usage frequencies, grammatical constructions, and stylistic characteristics throughout established works by each writer. |
|
| Rodriguez's examination of The Passionate Pilgrim revealed linguistic features that aligned more closely with Marlowe's verified compositional style. |
|
| Her findings indicated that digital analysis provided compelling evidence supporting Marlowe, rather than Shakespeare, as the probable creator of multiple disputed works. |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Dr. Rodriguez used digital analysis methods to investigate Renaissance authorship disputes and found evidence supporting Marlowe over Shakespeare as the author of several disputed works.
Argument Flow: The passage starts by establishing the context of ongoing scholarly debates about Renaissance poetry authorship, particularly between Shakespeare and Marlowe. It then introduces Rodriguez's innovative approach of using digital tools to analyze language patterns. The passage describes her specific methodology and provides an example of her findings with The Passionate Pilgrim, concluding with her broader discovery that digital analysis supports Marlowe's authorship of multiple disputed works.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The question asks us to find a broad statement about the nature of Dr. Rodriguez's scholarly investigation.
What type of answer do we need? We need a general characterization of what kind of research Rodriguez was conducting, not specific findings or detailed methods.
Any limiting keywords? Yes - broad statement and nature of indicate we want the general category or type of investigation, not specific results or narrow details.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The right answer needs to capture the broad category of Rodriguez's work
- She was using digital/technological methods to tackle traditional literary scholarship questions
- Specifically authorship attribution problems
- The answer should emphasize the methodological approach (digital analysis) and the scholarly purpose (examining authorship questions)
- Rather than getting into specific findings about Shakespeare vs. Marlowe or particular works
Rodriguez's digital analysis revealed that Marlowe, instead of Shakespeare, probably wrote multiple disputed Renaissance works.
✗ Incorrect
- This focuses on Rodriguez's specific findings rather than the nature of her investigation
- Too narrow
Academic researchers have employed digital methods to examine authorship questions in period literature.
✓ Correct
- Captures the broad nature of the investigation - digital methods applied to authorship questions
- Matches our prethinking about methodological approach rather than specific results
The program analyzed word usage frequencies, grammatical constructions, and stylistic characteristics to identify compositional patterns.
✗ Incorrect
- This describes the specific technical methods Rodriguez used
- Too narrow and doesn't capture that this is about authorship attribution specifically
Digital evidence indicated that "The Passionate Pilgrim" aligned more with Marlowe's compositional style than with Shakespeare's.
✗ Incorrect
- This is a specific finding about one particular work
- Exactly the opposite of what the question wants - very narrow rather than broad