#7 - Global Reference, Must Be True, Purpose/Function

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (E).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice.

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[heartofsunshine]

Can someone please tell me how to best approach this type of question? I chose C. however the correct answer is E. is C wrong because the text about the book Modern Architecture is not a "recent approach" rather a work? and E must be correct especially because it uses the phrase "important work" and this passage is about a book.

[KelseyWoods]

Hi Sunshine!

For a primary purpose question like this, you're basically looking for a more abstract phrasing of the main point of the passage. The Main Point of this passage is that Wagner's Modern Architecture illustrates how the founders of modern architecture did not actually believe that practical issues should take full precedence over aesthetic concerns. Answer choice (E) is a great abstraction of that main point--the passage supports an assertion (that it's unfair to criticize modern architecture for emphasizing the practical at the expense of the aesthetic) by discussing an important work (Wagner's Modern Architecture).

Answer choice (C), as you note, refers to describing and evaluating a recent approach. But Wagner's book, and therefore his approach, is not recent, as it was published in 1896.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey

[goingslow]

Hi! I chose (B) instead of (E) and am unsure why "explaining a traditional argument" is not a good recap of the passage? Any light you can shed on answer choice B would be greatly appreciated!

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi goingslow,

A few problems jump out with answer choice (B). The first is that the passage isn't about a traditional argument. When I think about traditional arguments I think about things like nature v nurture. This isn't that. It's about the position of a book. The book itself may or may not be traditional. It's certainly not recent, but it's not quite right to call it traditional either.

The second major issue is that the passage isn't really explaining an argument. It's more of a book review, using a book to support an opinion about modern architecture.

Generally with these ones, you want to have a good prephrase for what you think the passage is doing, and break down the answer choices to see if they match. If the answer choice says "traditional argument" you want to make sure you can point to what that would be in the passage. If the answer choice talks about "new evidence" you want to be able to identify that.

Hope that helps!