- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Feb 06, 2024
- Mon Apr 29, 2024 9:15 am
#106208
Hey Ashutosh,
For questions like this, I like to think of an example for what a "peculiarity of language" might be so I can better follow the author's argument. So, let's say here that the "peculiar" thing I'm talking about is the use of the word "y'all". If answer choice (E) is true, maybe sometimes poets are saying y'all on purpose and other times they are using it without realizing it - that would be the conscious and unconscious usage. However, if I realize that Emily Dickenson is the only poet of her time that I'm seeing use the word "y'all", then does it really matter whether she's doing it on purpose or not? The test would still help me attribute poems to her authorship because she is the only one using that word.
Now answer choice (C) brings up the real problem with this test - if I find a poem from Emily Dickenson's time which also uses the word y'all can I actually conclusively say that it must be written by her? Or is it possible I just found an example of another poet who uses the word, indicating it is a common use of the language during Dickenson's time? Maybe a lot of other authors use this word and I just haven't found those poems yet. The test doesn't help us here, which is why (C) is the correct answer.
Hope that helps!
For questions like this, I like to think of an example for what a "peculiarity of language" might be so I can better follow the author's argument. So, let's say here that the "peculiar" thing I'm talking about is the use of the word "y'all". If answer choice (E) is true, maybe sometimes poets are saying y'all on purpose and other times they are using it without realizing it - that would be the conscious and unconscious usage. However, if I realize that Emily Dickenson is the only poet of her time that I'm seeing use the word "y'all", then does it really matter whether she's doing it on purpose or not? The test would still help me attribute poems to her authorship because she is the only one using that word.
Now answer choice (C) brings up the real problem with this test - if I find a poem from Emily Dickenson's time which also uses the word y'all can I actually conclusively say that it must be written by her? Or is it possible I just found an example of another poet who uses the word, indicating it is a common use of the language during Dickenson's time? Maybe a lot of other authors use this word and I just haven't found those poems yet. The test doesn't help us here, which is why (C) is the correct answer.
Hope that helps!