Q20

[colin.o.hill]

Is D correct because, while the author stated Ellison received criticism that "his indulging in European fictional modes lessened his contribution to the development of a distinctly African Novelistic Style," the author only directly responded to the criticism regarding art and political action? If the author had addressed more explicitly the criticism regarding "European fictional modes," would D still be correct?

I did not really like any of the other answers either, but I ended up rejecting D and choosing E because I thought D did not wholly encapsulate the purpose of the passage.

[maryadkins]

I like (D) because it is at worst at least mostly right, as you note, but I also think lines 17-20 do a good job of wrapping both of the concerns voiced in paragraph 1 into one concern that the author of the passage then goes on to address. I think you're also right that if the author had ended up focusing more on the European fictional modes, it may weaken (D) a bit, but because Ellison himself wrapped them into one, which (D) gets at in this broader sense.

(E) is too broad. Think about how (E) doesn't even mention a particular artist. For (E) to be supported, the author would have to have made this claim about art as a whole.

As for the others:

(A) is too extreme and misses the mark.

(B) too broad, and also mis-focused.

(C) isn't the point. The point is to talk about why Ellison's book did not warrant particular criticisms.