Q12

[phil.ogea]

I really wrestled with this one and I think it boils down to a lack of understanding. To be clear, the sentimental novels discussed in lines 3-9 were NOT referring to the local colorists, correct? I think this way because it dates the sentimental novels to soon after 1850, and explicitly states that she LATER took as her model the local colorists in lines 10-12.

Working with that I had no trouble eliminating A, B, or E. Frankly I viewed C and D as a best of the worst scenario. Let's look at the correct answer to the point of the purpose question prior: "avoiding the sentimental excess of novels she read in her youth, and influenced by local colorists..."

While I didn't truly reference that answer choice in timed practice, this was essentially the reasoning I used to say C is wrong: her fiction developed against local colorists & the New Women, not these 1850's jokers. It is also why I said okay D is a decent answer choice since it's at least about avoiding excesses.

It's rare that I disagree with the key even in review so I really would like some guidance on where I went astray.

Thanks in advance

[christine.defenbaugh]

Interesting question, phil.ogea!

I think you may have an incomplete (or imprecise) feel for the overall structure of the passage. I like that you are using the correct answer to the content-summary question to help you out though, but you've dropped out some critical phrasing that can help us be more clear.

The correct answer for Question 8 says "avoiding the sentimental excess of novels she read in her youth, and FIRST influenced by local colorists and then by .... the New Women". So there are THREE difference influences laid out here: 1) early sentimental novels (that Chopin distanced herself from) 2) the local colorists and 3) the New Women.

This matches up precisely with the structural layout of the passage:
P1 - sentimental novels of 1850s
P2 - local colorists
P3 - Chopin's use of technique from, and difference from, local colorists
P4 - New Women

The correct answer to Q8 shows us that Chopin developed her writing style in response or relation to all three of these influences, not just the local colorists and New Women. Additionally, the first sentence of the passage lays this foundation: Chopin's literary development "took her through several phases of nineteenth-century women's fiction".

So, this question is simply asking 'why is the author even talking about those 1850s sentimental novels'? Well, they were one of the literary phases that Chopin experienced and was influenced by (even if just to reject it). This matches well with (C)!

As for (D), you're right that the "excesses" is an apt description of the sentimental novels, we have no support for the idea that Chopin thought that nostalgia would lead there. "Nostalgia" as a concept is associated with the local colorists (lines 38-39), not the sentimental novels.

Let's take a quick look at the remaining answer choices:
(A) - Chopin rejected this sentimentality, she didn't mimic it!
(B) - Chopin rejected the local colorists because of their nostalgia - that had nothing to do with the sentimental novels!
(E) - Women's literature clearly was flourishing before Chopin, but that's not at all the point of the passage, or the first paragraph - we're trying to lay the foundation to discuss Chopin's development, not women's literature as a whole.

A stronger sense of the passage map, and the big picture here would have helped you to better keep track of the different literature phases, and how they each relate to Chopin!

Please let me know if this clears up the confusion!