max37274 wrote:Professor Chan: The literature department's undergraduate courses should cover only true literary works, and not such frivolous material as advertisements.
Professor Wigmore: Advertisements might or might not be true literary works but they do have a powerfully detrimental effect on society-largely because people cannot discern their real messages. The literature department's courses give students the critical skills to analyze and understand texts. Therefore, it is the literature department's responsibility to include the study of advertisements in its undergraduate courses.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which Professor Wigmore's argument depends?

(A) Texts that are true literary works never have a detrimental effect on society.-Discussion is about advertisements-hence,out of context.
(B) Courses offered by the literature department cannot include both true literary works and material such as advertisement.-In the passage,Prof.Chan says "only" not "either".
(C) Students who take courses in the literature department do not get from those courses other skills besides those needed to analyze and understand texts.
(D) Forms of advertising that convey their message entirely through visual images do not have a detrimental effect on society.-This is infact opposing.
(E) The literature department's responsibility is not limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works.-In the passage Prof.Wigmore says-"Therefore, it is the literature department's responsibility to include the study of advertisements in its undergraduate courses." which is sync with the statement.
answer B. why not E???

max37274 wrote:Professor Chan: The literature department's undergraduate courses should cover only true literary works, and not such frivolous material as advertisements.
Professor Wigmore: Advertisements might or might not be true literary works but they do have a powerfully detrimental effect on society-largely because people cannot discern their real messages. The literature department's courses give students the critical skills to analyze and understand texts. Therefore, it is the literature department's responsibility to include the study of advertisements in its undergraduate courses.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which Professor Wigmore's argument depends?

Chan says : Literature dept should teach Only true literary works
Wigmore says : Literature dept should Include frivolous material (advertisements) also

Therefore wigmore assumes that literature dept. is NOT ONLY for true literary works. Lets see which answer choice best echoes our assumption.

(A) Texts that are true literary works never have a detrimental effect on society.
Incorrect : Passage says frivolous material have do have a powerfully detrimental effect on society but we cannot assume from this that true literary works NEVER have a detrimental effect on society.

(B) Courses offered by the literature department cannot include both true literary works and material such as advertisement.
Incorrect : Wigmore says it is the literature department's responsibility to include the study of advertisements in its undergraduate courses. Hence inclusion is not an issue here.

(C) Students who take courses in the literature department do not get from those courses other skills besides those needed to analyze and understand texts.
Incorrect : Wigmore says the literature department's courses give students the critical skills to analyze and understand texts. This does not mean the student who take course in literature dep. DO NOT get other skills from those courses.

(D) Forms of advertising that convey their message entirely through visual images do not have a detrimental effect on society.
Incorrect : We cannot assume this from the passage.

(E) The literature department's responsibility is not limited to teaching students how to analyze true literary works.
Correct : This correctly paraphrases our assumption discussed above.