Q9

[jiehaep]

9. (A)
Question Type: Synthesis (48-59)
This question first demands we identify the part of the passage dealing with gender differences being revealed in the absence of intent: paragraph 4. In that final paragraph, the author describes Gluck as believing that these differences will emerge (despite absence of intent) in the ways people write. Gluck believes that "every work...inevitably speaks of its social and historical context." Choice (A) is another example of a phenomenon that reveals context without someone intending for it to do so.
(B) is an unsupported interpretation. The lack of conscious indication is a key factor in the passage.
(C) is an unsupported interpretation. This is an instance of layering something on top rather than having something underneath be revealed.
(D) is tempting because the passage states that there cannot be literature without context. However, eliminating context does not make literature itself impossible, and this choice does not address the visibility of the context.
(E) is an unsupported interpretation. This choice confuses the absence of conscious intent for deliberate concealment of intent.

[LSAT-Chang]

Could anyone provide more detail as to why (A) is better than (D)? I circled (D) with confidence since the last sentence of the passage explicitly states that "literature...inevitably speaks of its social and historical context" so it is impossible that it won't be spoken of -- just like (D) how it is impossible to travel on a railroad track without a train. I don't quite get what (A) is even talking of. What is this referring to exactly? A bird's flight..? It exposes unseen air currents..? If someone could just clarify what (A) means and how it is better than (D), I would greatly appreciate it..

[timmydoeslsat]

So we know that Gluck believes that if a poet is to write without any intention of gender differences, that these differences will play out nonetheless. This is because that men and women see the world differently.

When a man is writing poetry without the intention of revealing gender differences, he will do so anyway Gluck believes.

You will be able to see how he sees the world differently through his poetry.

When a bird is flying in the air, its flight can be altered by air currents. This is a natural thing that the bird cannot help but be governed by as it flies. This is the same idea that Gluck invokes with the concept of gender differences in poetry made without intention.

No need to force it she believes, it will be evident through the writing nonetheless.

Choice D does state the something is necessary, however it does not capture the idea that the gender differences will play out in poetry without forced hands. Something that differs intrinsically will guide the poets, and this intrinsic thing is how a poet sees the world.

It is something that a poet cannot help, much like an air current. It affects you without you forcing it.

[raziel]

I think the answer choice is not so much about having or not having a conscious decision. I think the author is saying that Gluck believes that by not intending to gender differences in writing, the differences will be revealed "with more authority". That is, the differences will be revealed more honestly. If the differences are there, they will be better revealed and not artificially created by intending to create them.

I think that's why (A) is the right choice, since the air currents are unseen, and the bird is somehow revealing them as he flies.

I initially chose (B) because I taught it somehow revealed something. But I didn't read it correctly, as it actually states that it knows with full certainty how strong a wave it is supposed to withstand. There is no revealing of something unknown

[T.J.]

One way to get this question right is to observe several spots in the answer choices. "designed", "superficially", and "deliberately" in (B),(C),(E) all demonstrate intention which we don't want, as the question has made it clear that we should look for the absence of any specific intention. For (D), I don't discover any element of intention or differences revealed. It sounds more like that railroad is necessary for travel by train.