Text 1:Researchers studying Edgar Allan Poe's fiction have concentrated heavily on analyzing his deployment of ravens, felines, and similar ominous...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Researchers studying Edgar Allan Poe's fiction have concentrated heavily on analyzing his deployment of ravens, felines, and similar ominous beings as a means to comprehend the mental and emotional themes within his narratives. The recurring presence of these animal figures throughout various tales has led academics to view them as intentional manifestations of particular psychological conditions—with ravens embodying mortality and hopelessness, while black cats signify remorse and suspicious dread. Certain scholars have gone so far as to develop comprehensive symbolic lexicons that document the psychological significance each animal holds within Poe's thematic system.
Text 2:
Literature professor Maria Santos has proposed that interpreting Poe's animal symbolism through a rigid symbolic framework could reduce recognition of the writer's storytelling intricacy. According to Santos, Poe's creatures operate as adaptable narrative tools that alter their significance depending on circumstances, fulfilling the specific dramatic requirements of individual tales instead of following an established symbolic structure.
According to the passages, what would Professor Maria Santos (Text 2) most probably argue regarding the analytical approach described in the underlined portion of Text 1?
Depictions of ravens are significantly more psychologically complex than depictions of cats and other creatures.
Animal imagery in Poe's stories serves contextual dramatic purposes rather than representing fixed psychological meanings.
Some symbolic interpretations may have been based on incomplete analysis of Poe's complete published works.
Imagery featuring the same creatures across multiple stories likely indicates consistent psychological themes within those specific works.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Researchers studying Edgar Allan Poe's fiction have concentrated heavily on analyzing his deployment of ravens, felines, and similar ominous beings as a means to comprehend the mental and emotional themes within his narratives." |
|
| "The recurring presence of these animal figures throughout various tales has led academics to view them as intentional manifestations of particular psychological conditions—with ravens embodying mortality and hopelessness, while black cats signify remorse and suspicious dread." |
|
| "Certain scholars have gone so far as to develop comprehensive symbolic lexicons that document the psychological significance each animal holds within Poe's thematic system." |
|
| "Literature professor Maria Santos has proposed that interpreting Poe's animal symbolism through a rigid symbolic framework could reduce recognition of the writer's storytelling intricacy." |
|
| "According to Santos, Poe's creatures operate as adaptable narrative tools that alter their significance depending on circumstances, fulfilling the specific dramatic requirements of individual tales instead of following an established symbolic structure." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: There's a debate about whether Poe's animal symbolism follows fixed meanings or serves flexible narrative purposes.
Argument Flow: Text 1 establishes that researchers have developed rigid symbolic frameworks, assigning specific psychological meanings to Poe's animals and even creating comprehensive dictionaries of these meanings. Text 2 then presents Santos's opposing view that this rigid approach misses Poe's complexity, arguing instead that animals function as adaptable tools whose meanings shift based on each story's needs.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? What Santos would argue about the specific analytical approach mentioned in the underlined portion of Text 1
What type of answer do we need? Santos's likely critique or counterargument to the comprehensive symbolic lexicons approach
Any limiting keywords? Higher Order Inference question requiring us to apply Santos's perspective to critique a specific methodology
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Based on our analysis, Santos believes Poe's animals are adaptable narrative tools that alter their significance depending on circumstances rather than having fixed meanings
- The underlined portion describes scholars creating comprehensive symbolic lexicons - essentially dictionaries that assign rigid, consistent meanings to each animal
- Santos would argue against this approach because it treats symbols as having fixed meanings rather than contextual ones
- It misses the storytelling intricacy that comes from flexible symbolism
- It imposes an established symbolic structure that Santos says doesn't exist
- So the right answer should reflect Santos's view that animals serve contextual, flexible purposes rather than representing fixed psychological meanings
Depictions of ravens are significantly more psychologically complex than depictions of cats and other creatures.
✗ Incorrect
- This focuses on comparing complexity between different animals (ravens vs. cats)
- Santos's critique isn't about which animals are more complex, but about the entire approach of assigning fixed meanings
Animal imagery in Poe's stories serves contextual dramatic purposes rather than representing fixed psychological meanings.
✓ Correct
- Captures Santos's central argument that animals serve contextual dramatic purposes
- Directly contrasts with the fixed psychological meanings approach from Text 1
Some symbolic interpretations may have been based on incomplete analysis of Poe's complete published works.
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests the problem is incomplete analysis of Poe's works
- Santos's critique isn't about missing texts, but about the interpretive framework itself
Imagery featuring the same creatures across multiple stories likely indicates consistent psychological themes within those specific works.
✗ Incorrect
- Actually supports the Text 1 approach by saying recurring creatures indicate consistent psychological themes
- This is opposite to Santos's view that meanings change with context