RC Question 1 Explanation
DISCUSSION: Main Point answers must be true, and describe the entire passage.
You can first eliminate any answers that are false, and then focus on finding an answer that best describes the passage as a whole.
Here the main point is that the internet won’t destroy printed books. Instead, digital publishing will keep printed books alive and disrupt the traditional publishing industry by lowering costs.
___________
- This makes it sound like economic shifts are the main point. They’re not. They were only mentioned (lines 51-53) to support the case that the digital publishing transition will happen.
- The emphasis is wrong here. It’s true that further change in economic factors (lines 26-29) and social factors (publisher resistance) could speed the transition to digital books. But the author doesn’t present either of these as major obstacles to digital printed books. Indeed, he thinks it’s inevitable that things will change.
- Actually, the third paragraph shows that digital publishing will not be profitable for publishers, unless they get rid of many redundant functions (lines 47-50). Authors will move to new digital publishing houses, but there won’t necessarily be a great deal of movement back and forth once they’ve switched over.
- This ignores the economics of publishing and the effect of digital publishing on the traditional publishing industry. Also, the author was only arguing that printed books wouldn’t disappear. He didn’t say whether or not they would be more popular than e-books.
- CORRECT. This covers all three paragraphs. The only part is leaves out is the argument that traditional publishers will be forced to pay higher royalties or go out of business, as authors move to traditional publishing houses.
I’m seeing a pattern with some of these ones I’ve asked about too…I think I should tend to eliminate questions right away that have a lot right to them (very strong echoes with the text) but then some clearly wonky part…even if it’s just one or two words and instead go for the one that has less explicitly right info (as in echoing the text) but zero wonkiness.
Anyway, I see what you’re saying but no comment about the use of LIKELY in line 24 and that whole sentence? Cost of machines seems like an economic factor to me. That the traditional printing houses are “heavily invested int he infrastructure of traditional publishing” also seems like an economic factor hindering acceptance of the new process. I’m struggling to find a “social” hinderance to be honest :). Perhaps you didn’t mention them because they are good support for the answer but the wonky bit about “social” throws the question out? I’m fine if that’s what you’re thinking. Or do you think I’m reading lines 24 and 43 wrong?
If I don’t end up getting the score I want on Sunday, I’ll most likely set up a couple of Skype sessions with you if you’re available to prepare for a retake!
The idea is that the economic factors are not the main point. The author is not saying “there is a new paradigm, but economic factors are holding it back”. That’s not the argument she’s making. The fact that economic factors are mentioned doesn’t automatically make it her argument.
Basically, if you could materialize the author, and ask her “Is B what you’re saying” she’d say “no, that’s not why I wrote the passage.” You have to imagine authors as humans, making real arguments, and pick answers they’d agree represent their argument. Everything’s written for a reason.
Sure, send me an email if you want to schedule something.
I have a couple of issues with E.
1. It uses the word “will”, which I found to be more certain than the author was. The author does not use this language but instead uses less certain language at least twice: line 6 (“But it is more LIKELY, I believe”) and line 24 (“it is LIKELY to eventually supplant or at least rival traditional publishing”).
2. I don’t really understand why B isn’t better. B has the LIKELY rather than WILL. It also accounts for the time the author mentions this will take (“although it will be some time before a catalog go…becomes large enough to justify the investment” (26-28) and “interval between a departing economic model and its successor” – interval refers to time and there’s no indication in the passage that this process has even started yet as far as I can see). I do acknowledge the “hindering its acceptance” is not great but I felt it was better than E.
The whole passage just seems to be speculative to me so I just don’t see how the correct answer choice can all of a sudden have a certain WILL. Why can’t they just put a blood LIKELY in the middle of “will transform”?!
Any comments?
The final sentence says the adjustments are typical of a departing model. The author believes digital publishing will change things.
Consider the likely on line 6. What is the author comparing? She’s asking whether digital publishing will change publishing by e-books, or whether digital publishing will lead to print on demand. Either way, publishing changes.
B is wrong because, as I wrote above, the passage doesn’t focus on economic or social factors. I think you overfocussed on the word likely, and ignored that the rest of the answer wasn’t the main point. (As I wrote above, likely didn’t mean what you thought)
As I wrote in an earlier comment, you’re letting your thoughts fly away from the text. On review you need to rigorously read through the original text and see what it REALLY says.