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Only poetry cannot be translated well

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Only poetry cannot be translated well

by BTGmoderatorDC » Tue Nov 14, 2017 7:03 pm
Only poetry cannot be translated well, and therefore it is poets who preserve languages, for we would not bother to learn a language if we could get everything written in it from translation. So, since we cannot witness the beauty of poetry except in the language in which it is composed, we have motivation to learn the language.

The information above provides the LEAST support for which one of the following?

(A) All nonpoetic literature can be translated well.

(B) One purpose of writing poetry is to preserve the language in which it is written.

(C) Some translations do not capture all that was expressed in the original language.

(D) The beauty of poetry is not immediately accessible to people who do not understand the language in which the poetry was written.

(E) Perfect translation from one language to another is sometimes impossible.

Why isn't Option A or C the best Option?

OA B
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by ErikaPrepScholar » Wed Nov 15, 2017 7:19 am
A. The passage indicates that "only poetry cannot be translated well". This means that everything except poetry can be translated well. This is supported.
C. "We would not bother to learn a language if we could get everything written in it from translation" and "we cannot witness the beauty of poetry except in the language in which it is composed" together indicate that poetry tells us something and has some beauty in the original language that we cannot get from translation. This is supported.

B. If preserving a language is a "purpose" of poetry, this means that poets try to preserve language on purpose. This passage doesn't say anything about the intentions of the poets. It's very possible that poets write poetry simply because they like it, and the preservation of language is an unintentional result of their poems. So this is not supported.
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by BTGmoderatorDC » Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:05 pm
ErikaPrepScholar wrote:A. The passage indicates that "only poetry cannot be translated well". This means that everything except poetry can be translated well. This is supported.
C. "We would not bother to learn a language if we could get everything written in it from translation" and "we cannot witness the beauty of poetry except in the language in which it is composed" together indicate that poetry tells us something and has some beauty in the original language that we cannot get from translation. This is supported.

B. If preserving a language is a "purpose" of poetry, this means that poets try to preserve language on purpose. This passage doesn't say anything about the intentions of the poets. It's very possible that poets write poetry simply because they like it, and the preservation of language is an unintentional result of their poems. So this is not supported.
Thanks a lot!
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