Craft and StructureHardTwo views on dating a manuscript by its ink
Craft and Structure practice question
Text 1
The manuscript's ink contains a pigment first made in 1704, so the manuscript cannot be older than that.
Text 2
The 1704 pigment appears only in the manuscript's margins, in notes written in a later hand. The main text uses an iron-gall ink consistent with any date after 1400.
How would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to Text 1?
- A. By arguing that the late pigment dates the marginal notes, not the main text.Correct
- B. By agreeing that the whole manuscript dates from after 1704.
- C. By claiming the pigment was made before 1704.
- D. By denying that the manuscript has margins.
Answer: A. By arguing that the late pigment dates the marginal notes, not the main text.
The pigment is in the notes only.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. By agreeing that the whole manuscript dates from after 1704.
- Text 2 separates the notes from the text.
- C. By claiming the pigment was made before 1704.
- The date of the pigment is not disputed.
- D. By denying that the manuscript has margins.
- Text 2 describes the margins.
More Craft and Structure questions
- Hard
What is the main purpose of the text? - Hard
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined final sentence in the text as a whole? - Hard
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text? - Hard
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word? - Hard
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word? - Hard
What is the main purpose of the text?
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