Many literary theorists distinguish between fabula, a narrative's content, and syuzhet, a narrative's arrangement and presentation of events. In the...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Many literary theorists distinguish between fabula, a narrative's content, and syuzhet, a narrative's arrangement and presentation of events. In the film The Godfather Part II, the fabula is the story of the Corleone family, and the syuzhet is the presentation of the story as it alternates between two timelines in 1901 and 1958. But literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin maintained that fabula and syuzhet are insufficient to completely describe a narrative—he held that systematic categorizations of artistic phenomena discount the subtle way in which meaning is created by interactions between the artist, the work, and the audience.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin argued that there are important characteristics of narratives that are not fully encompassed by two concepts that other theorists have used to analyze narratives.
Literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin claimed that meaning is not inherent in a narrative but is created when an audience encounters a narrative so that narratives are interpreted differently by different people.
The storytelling methods used in The Godfather Part II may seem unusually complicated, but they can be easily understood when two concepts from literary theory are utilized.
Narratives that are told out of chronological order are more difficult for audiences to understand than are narratives presented chronologically.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Many literary theorists distinguish between fabula, a narrative's content, and syuzhet, a narrative's arrangement and presentation of events." |
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| "In the film The Godfather Part II, the fabula is the story of the Corleone family, and the syuzhet is the presentation of the story as it alternates between two timelines in 1901 and 1958." |
|
| "But literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin maintained that fabula and syuzhet are insufficient to completely describe a narrative—" |
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| "he held that systematic categorizations of artistic phenomena discount the subtle way in which meaning is created by interactions between the artist, the work, and the audience." |
|
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The main idea of the entire text—the central message that ties everything together.
What type of answer do we need? A statement that captures the primary point the author is making about literary theory.
Any limiting keywords? "Main idea" tells us we need the overarching message, not a detail or side point.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The passage follows a clear pattern: it introduces the standard approach (fabula and syuzhet), gives us an example of how it works, then presents Bakhtin's criticism that this approach is incomplete
- The main idea should capture this progression—specifically that Bakhtin challenged the adequacy of these established concepts
Literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin argued that there are important characteristics of narratives that are not fully encompassed by two concepts that other theorists have used to analyze narratives.
✓ Correct
- Correctly captures the main idea by focusing on Bakhtin's argument that fabula and syuzhet do not fully encompass important narrative characteristics
Literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin claimed that meaning is not inherent in a narrative but is created when an audience encounters a narrative so that narratives are interpreted differently by different people.
✗ Incorrect
- Focuses too narrowly on one aspect of Bakhtin's theory rather than the main point about inadequacy of existing concepts
The storytelling methods used in The Godfather Part II may seem unusually complicated, but they can be easily understood when two concepts from literary theory are utilized.
✗ Incorrect
- Makes The Godfather Part II the focus when it is just a supporting example, missing the actual main argument
Narratives that are told out of chronological order are more difficult for audiences to understand than are narratives presented chronologically.
✗ Incorrect
- Introduces a comparison about narrative difficulty that does not appear anywhere in the passage