A well-known poem in praise of Elizabeth I of England, dating from about 1585, has until now been of unknown...

GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions

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Critical Reasoning

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A well-known poem in praise of Elizabeth I of England, dating from about 1585, has until now been of unknown authorship. It has been discovered, however, that the poem contains several lines that appear in works dating from about 1560- 1570 by Anne Holtom. Elizabethan poets commonly reused lines from their own earlier work in poems they were working on. Most probably, therefore, Anne Holtom is the author of the 1585 poem.

Determining which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the argument given?

Whether Elizabethan poets were likely to include in their poems lines from works of other poets

Whether Elizabethan poets, when reusing lines from their earlier work, expected their readers to readily recognize such instances of reuse

Whether there are any poems that, although known to be by Anne Holtom, cannot be dated even approximately

Whether there were well-established conventions among Elizabethan poets regarding points to include in a poem in praise of a monarch

Whether Anne Holtom is known to have written poems of which no copy survives today

Solution

Passage Analysis:

Text from Passage	Analysis
A well-known poem in praise of Elizabeth I of England, dating from about 1585, has until now been of unknown authorship.	What it says: We have a famous poem from 1585 about Elizabeth I, but no one knows who wrote it What it does: Sets up the mystery we're trying to solve What it is: Background information
It has been discovered, however, that the poem contains several lines that appear in works dating from about 1560-1570 by Anne Holtom.	What it says: The mystery poem has lines that match Anne Holtom's earlier poems from the 1560s-70s What it does: Introduces new evidence that could solve the authorship mystery What it is: Key evidence/discovery Visualization: Timeline: Anne's poems (1560-1570) → Mystery poem (1585) with matching lines
Elizabethan poets commonly reused lines from their own earlier work in poems they were working on.	What it says: It was normal for poets back then to recycle their own lines in new poems What it does: Provides context that explains why matching lines might indicate same author What it is: General rule/background context
Most probably, therefore, Anne Holtom is the author of the 1585 poem.	What it says: Based on the evidence, Anne Holtom likely wrote the mystery poem What it does: Draws a conclusion by combining the matching lines with the reuse pattern What it is: Author's main conclusion

Argument Flow:

The argument starts with a mystery (unknown author of 1585 poem), introduces key evidence (matching lines from Anne Holtom's earlier work), provides context for why this matters (poets commonly reused their own lines), then concludes Anne is probably the author.

Main Conclusion:

Anne Holtom is most probably the author of the 1585 poem praising Elizabeth I.

Logical Structure:

The argument uses a pattern of reasoning: if poets typically reuse their own lines, and this poem contains lines from Anne's earlier work, then Anne likely wrote this poem too. It's essentially saying 'same lines + normal reuse pattern = same author.'

Prethinking:

Question type:

Evaluate - We need to find information that would help us determine whether the conclusion (Anne Holtom wrote the 1585 poem) is strong or weak

Precision of Claims

The argument makes specific claims about: (1) matching lines between Anne's 1560-1570 works and the 1585 poem, (2) Elizabethan poets commonly reusing their own lines, and (3) therefore Anne likely wrote the 1585 poem

Strategy

For evaluate questions, we need to think of assumptions the argument makes and create scenarios that would either strengthen or weaken the conclusion when we get more information. The key assumption here is that matching lines + common practice of self-reuse = same author. We should think of what additional info would help us test this assumption

Answer Choices Explained

Whether Elizabethan poets were likely to include in their poems lines from works of other poets

This directly addresses the core assumption of the argument. The argument assumes that matching lines indicate self-reuse, but if Elizabethan poets commonly borrowed lines from OTHER poets' works, then the matching lines between Anne's earlier poems and the 1585 poem might not indicate that Anne wrote the later poem. Someone else could have borrowed her lines. Conversely, if poets rarely used others' lines, it would strengthen the case that Anne wrote the 1585 poem. This information would be extremely useful in evaluating the argument.

Whether Elizabethan poets, when reusing lines from their earlier work, expected their readers to readily recognize such instances of reuse

Whether readers were expected to recognize reused lines is irrelevant to determining authorship. The argument isn't about reader recognition but about who actually wrote the poem. Even if readers weren't expected to notice reuse, poets could still reuse their own lines, and this wouldn't help us determine if Anne wrote the 1585 poem.

Whether there are any poems that, although known to be by Anne Holtom, cannot be dated even approximately

Whether some of Anne's poems can't be dated doesn't help evaluate this specific argument. We already know the relevant information: Anne's poems from 1560-1570 contain lines that match the 1585 poem. Additional undatable poems don't change the logic of the argument about these specific matching lines.

Whether there were well-established conventions among Elizabethan poets regarding points to include in a poem in praise of a monarch

Information about conventions for praising monarchs might explain why poems could be similar in theme or structure, but it doesn't address the specific issue of identical lines appearing across different poems. The argument is based on matching lines, not similar themes or praise conventions.

Whether Anne Holtom is known to have written poems of which no copy survives today

Whether Anne wrote poems that no longer survive is irrelevant to evaluating this argument. We're concerned with the relationship between her known 1560-1570 works and the 1585 poem. Lost poems don't affect the logic connecting these specific works through their matching lines.

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