Q5

[patrice.antoine]

I chose D for this one. Is this a detail creep answer choice? I synonymized continuity with longevity . Please explain what lines draw evidence to the correct answer.


Thank you!

[ohthatpatrick]

When RC questions have any of these types of question stems:
"The author mentions ____ in order to "
"The author's reference to ____ serves to "
"The author uses the phrase ____ primarily to "

... the correct answer is usually a paraphrase of the broader claim/sentence that comes before the actual sentence with the ______.

So since 'metaphor' appears in lines 24-27, I look to the PREVIOUS sentence for the correct answer to Q5.

The broader claim in that sentence is that 'corridos tell their stories simply and swiftly, without embellishments'.

I look for an answer choice that reinforces this idea. In (A), 'Directness of language' = 'simply and swiftly, without embellishments'

Again, for more than half of these problems, the correct answer just paraphrases/reinforces the broader idea BEFORE the specific word/phrase/detail the question asks about. In other cases, the correct answer paraphrases/reinforces the broader idea AFTER the specific word/phrase/detail.

==== other answers ====
(B) the focus on 'narrative' has nothing to do with this paragraph, and the author never tries to counter the idea that Corridos tell stories.

(C) the author is doing the opposite of this

(D) nothing in the nearby vicinity has anything to do with 'longevity', but the end of the 2nd paragraph does discuss that WHEN metaphors are used, they typically involve familiar imagery that reflects and strengthens the continuity of the corrido tradition.

Is 'continuity' a fair match for 'longevity'? Not quite, since something could be continuous/consistent without necessarily being long-lasting.

But it is a fairly tempting answer, since there is some support for it. This is where the phrase "primarily in order to" comes into play. Why did the author bring up metaphor? To discuss the simple language that characterizes most corridos or to show that corridos have a longstanding tradition?

It's easier to justify (A), since its language is found in the sentence attached to the one about 'metaphors'. Also, the first sentence of a paragraph typically carries more weight to LSAT in terms of identifying the theme/topic/point of that paragraph. So the 2nd paragraph seems to MAINLY be stressing the simplicity of language in corridos, while acknowledging that exceptions to that trend still follow simple, conventional patterns.

(E) "all" variants is too extreme

Hope this helps.