#14 - Global Reference, Main Point

[angie23]

I have trouble with a few questions regarding this passage. The first one is #14-

I am stuck between A) and D). Are correct answers to reading comprehension's main point questions mostly author's viewpoint pertaining to the whole passage?


Thank you!

[Lucas Moreau]

Hello, angie,

I'm glad you're able to narrow it down to the correct solution and one other - you're just one step away!

Answer choice D isn't quite as good as answer choice A. For one thing, D leaves out the fact that the essay is essentially a response to critics' comments about Kingston's work, disproving their accusations that her writing has no basis in Chinese storytelling. A does not leave that out.

Also, though this is a more minor point, answer choice D says "Throughout her writings..." We don't know for 100% certain that all of Kingston's writings have talk-story influences on them. She may well write spy thrillers and vampire novels in addition to her talk-story work.

Your characterization of RC Main Point questions is essentially correct. Keep in mind "pertaining to the whole passage," meaning that a valid Main Point answer choice won't leave out major themes or aspects to the passage.

Hope that helps,
Lucas Moreau

[est15]

From the third passage of the section.

I was trying to decide between A and D, and I eventually chose D because I felt that most of the passage was focusing on Kingston's talk-story techniques. A seemed too broad to me. Could you explain why A is correct and D is incorrect?

[KelseyWoods]

Hi est!

So when you're trying to figure out the main point of a reading comprehension passage, remember to consider the passage as a whole. Oftentimes, thinking about the structure can be helpful. The first paragraph of this passage starts off by saying that some critics have mistakenly suggested that Kingston's work does not have Chinese American antecedents because they overlooked talk-story; the second paragraph describes the history of talk-story; the third paragraph discusses how Kingston considers herself as a storyteller of the talk-story form; and the fourth paragraph details how a specific work of Kingston's fits the talk-story form.

When you look at the passage as a whole like that, you see that answer choice (D) is in fact too limited. There is really only one paragraph (the last one) that discusses the specific talk-story techniques that Kingston uses in her works. Furthermore, there is nothing in the passage to say that the retention of certain aspects of Chinese speech in the written English text" is an especially important example of a talk-story technique. Be careful not to assign too much weight to the last thing mentioned in the passage. Just because it's the last thing said, doesn't make it necessarily more important to the main point than everything that came previously.

Answer choice (A) fits with the passage as a whole better. Notice that in this passage, the author basically states the main point in the first paragraph and then spends the rest of the passage providing support for that main point. Also, remember that when an author starts off with "Some people say..." or any variation of that (such as "some critics have suggested...") the author's main point is often arguing against whichever point of view some other people have. So in this case, the author's main point is that, though critics may think that Kingston lacks Chinese American antecedents, her work is actually part of the talk-story genre. Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 support that Kingston's writings are part of the talk-story genre by tracing the evolution of the talk-story genre, saying Kingston considers herself in the talk-story genre, and pointing to specific talk-story genre techniques she employs.

A good rule of thumb is to make sure that your main point takes into account at least two of your paragraphs. Remember that you are looking for the main point of the passage as a whole. Pretty much the entire passage should be supporting whatever the author's main point is.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey