GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) | Re: With their recognition of Maxine Hong Kingston as a major literary

With their recognition of Maxine Hong Kingston as a major literary figure, some critics have suggested that her works have been produced almost ex nihilo, saying that they lack a large traceable body of direct literary antecedents especially within the Chinese American heritage in which her work is embedded. But these critics, who have examined only the development of written texts, the most visible signs of a culture’s narrative production, have overlooked Kingston’s connection to the long Chinese tradition of a highly developed genre of song and spoken narrative known as “talk-story” (gong gu tsai).
Traditionally performed in the dialects of various ethnic enclaves, talk-story has been maintained within the confines of the family and has rarely surfaced into print. The tradition dates back to Sung dynasty (A.D.970–1279) storytellers in China, and in the United States it is continually revitalized by an overlapping sequence of immigration from China. Thus, Chinese immigrants to the U.S. had a fully established, sophisticated oral culture, already ancient and capable of producing masterpieces, by the time they began arriving in the early nineteenth century. This transplanted oral heritage simply embraced new subject matter or new forms of Western discourse, as in the case of Kingston’s adaptations written in English.

Kingston herself believes that as a literary artist she is one in a long line of performers shaping a recalcitrant history into talk-story form. She distinguishes her “thematic” storytelling memory processes, which sift and reconstruct the essential elements of personally remembered stories, from the memory processes of a print-oriented culture that emphasizes the retention of precise sequences of words. Nor does the entry of print into the storytelling process substantially change her notion of the character of oral tradition. For Kingston, “writer” is synonymous with “singer” or “performer” in the ancient sense of privileged keeper, transmitter, and creator of stories whose current stage of development can be frozen in print, but which continue to grow both around and from that frozen text.

Kingston’s participation in the tradition of talk-story is evidenced in her book China Men, which utilizes forms typical of that genre and common to most oral cultures including: a fixed “grammar” of repetitive themes; a spectrum of stock characters; symmetrical structures, including balanced oppositions (verbal or physical contests, antithetical characters, dialectical discourse such as question-answer forms and riddles); and repetition. In China Men, Kingston also succeeds in investing idiomatic English with the allusive texture and oral-aural qualities of the Chinese language, a language rich in aural and visual puns, making her work a written form of talk-story.

1. Which one of the following most accurately states the main point of the passage?

With these, I like to take a look back at passage structure/flow. Paragraph 1 introduces the idea that critics ding Maxine for having no real precedent in her story telling, and flirts with the idea that they are wrong. Paragraph 2 gives a description of the oral history. Paragraph 3 details Maxine's skill in changing oral history to written stories. Finally, paragraph 4 gives an example of one of Maxine's works that supports the author's conclusion that Maxine's stories are tied with oral stories.

(A) Despite some critics’ comments, Kingston’s writings have significant Chinese American antecedents, which can be found in the traditional oral narrative form known as talk-story. Spot on with the summary above, but let's keep going just in case...
(B) Analysis of Kingston’s writings, especially China Men, supports her belief that literary artists can be performers who continue to reconstruct their stories even after they have been frozen in print.Although this may be insinuated to be true (particularly from the descriptions of oral history in paragraph 2, it's not the main point. Stick to the idea put forth in paragraph one that Maxine's writings have a source.
(C) An understanding of Kingston’s work and of Chinese American writers in general reveals that critics of ethnic literatures in the United States have been mistaken in examining only written texts.The article never really touches on this point.
(D) Throughout her writings Kingston uses techniques typical of the talk-story genre, especially the retention of certain aspects of Chinese speech in the written English text. This goes against what is put forward in the first paragraph (that Maxine's work has no precedent)
(E) The writings of Kingston have rekindled an interest in talk-story, which dates back to the Sung dynasty, and was extended to the United States with the arrival of Chinese immigrants in the nineteenth century. The article doesn't touch on a revival in talk story




2 Which one of the following can be most reasonably inferred from the passage?
In inference questions, try to make the smallest jumps possible

(A) In the last few years, written forms of talk-story have appeared in Chinese as often as they have in English. Article never states the split between english vs chinese publishing
(B) Until very recently, scholars have held that oral storytelling in Chinese ethnic enclaves was a unique oral tradition. The article never insinuates that only Chinese individuals participated in oral storytelling, in fact it states that oral history is "Traditionally performed in the dialects of various ethnic enclaves"
(C) Talk-story has developed in the United States through a process of combining Chinese, Chinese American, and other oral storytelling forms. There was never talk of a conglomeration of different story telling methods in the passage
(D) Chinese American talk-story relies upon memory processes that do not emphasize the retention of precise sequences of words. Makes sense given paragraph 3's main idea that oral stories can be translated to more concrete/rigid written stories. This is probably the answer
(E) The connection between certain aspects of Kingston’s work and talk-story is argued by some critics to be rather tenuous and questionable. This point is not addressed




3. It can be inferred from the passage that the author uses the phrase “personally remembered stories” (line 32) primarily to refer to
"Personally Remembered" here describes how all these stories are in Maxine's head and her written accounts are her takes on the major themes she remembers
(A) a literary genre of first-person storytelling Although this is 1st person story telling, "personally remembered" doesn't add to this claim
(B) a thematically organized personal narrative of one’s own past The stories don't have to due with Maxine's past. They can be centuries old
(C) partially idiosyncratic memories of narratives Bingo. "Idiosyncratic" here is just the GMAT trying to throw people off. "Unique" might be an easier word. Anyway, the fact that "these stories are "personally remembered" coincides with the memories being unique (or idiosyncratic) memories of narratives
(D) the retention in memory of precise sequences of words This is the opposite of the gist given in the third paragraph
(E) easily identifiable thematic issues in literature This has nothing to do with "personally remembered stories"




4. In which one of the following is the use of cotton fibers or cotton cloth most analogous to Kingston’s use of the English language as described in lines 51–55?
I had trouble here and would like other people's input if possible. Was between B and D

(A) Scraps of plain cotton cloth are used to create a multicolored quilt. The oral stories are anything but "plain". They have a rich history
(B) The surface texture of woolen cloth is simulated in a piece of cotton cloth by a special process of weaving. This plays into the bit in the last paragraph that Maxine succeedes in " investing idiomatic English with the allusive texture"
(C) Because of its texture, cotton cloth is used for a certain type of clothes for which linen is inappropriate. This is meant to draw an allusion to Chinese over English wordings when Chinese is better. That's not mentioned anywhere.
(D) In making a piece of cloth, cotton fiber is substituted for linen because of the roughly similar texture of the two materials. I believe this is similar to B for the same reason, not sure why B is "better"
(E) Because of their somewhat similar textures, cotton and linen fibers are woven together in a piece of cloth to achieve a savings in price over a pure linen cloth.The whole savings part at the end really throws this out of scope




5. The passage most clearly suggests that Kingston believes which one of the following about at least some of the stories contained in her writings?

(A) Since they are intimately tied to the nature of the Chinese language, they can be approximated, but not adequately expressed, in English. NEver insinuated/addressed
(B) They should be thought of primarily as ethnic literature and evaluated accordingly by critics. Passage doesn't mention anything regarding what Kingston thinks about critics' takes
(C) They will likely be retold and altered to some extent in the process. This is it/. Paragraph three states that kingston "believes that as a literary artist she is one in a long line of performers shaping"
(D) Chinese American history is best chronicled by traditional talk-story. Nope. Story telling is just an aspect of some chinese cultures
(E) Their significance and beauty cannot be captured at all in written texts.It's never stated that the writings are inferior; rather, it is mentioned that kingston succeedes in "making her work a written form of talk-story."




6. The author’s argument in the passage would be most weakened if which one of the following were true?
(A) Numerous writers in the United States have been influenced by oral traditions. This has nothing to do woth the argument that Kingston's writings are/are not based on anything.
(B) Most Chinese American writers’ work is very different from Kingston’s. Would have no affect on if Kingston's work was based on story telling or not. All of the chinese writers elsewhere could be getting their writings from another source
(C) Native American storytellers use narrative devices similar to those used in talk-story. Same reason as A, out of scope
(D) China Men is for the most part atypical of Kingston’s literary works. THis would limit the author's argument as he/she can no longer point to China Man as a definitive example
(E) Literary critics generally appreciate the authenticity of Kingston’s work.The argument isn't if they appreciate her works, just if they have a source




7. The author’s specific purpose in detailing typical talk-story forms (lines 43–51) is to
I don't know which text this refers to, but am able to deduce anyway

(A) show why Kingston’s book China Men establishes her as a major literary figure It is never asserted that Kingston is a major literay figure
(B) support the claim that Kingston’s use of typically oral techniques makes her work a part of the talk-story tradition This could be assumed. Let's check the others just in case...
(C) dispute the critics’ view that Chinese American literature lacks literary antecedents Article is specific to Kingston's antecedents
(D) argue for Kingston’s view that the literary artist is at best a “privileged keeper” of stories This is just a statement Kingston made, not really a debate
(E) provide an alternative to certain critics’ view that Kingston’s work should be judged primarily as literature This idea isn't put forward in the article



8. Which one of the following most accurately identifies the attitude shown by the author in the passage toward talk-story?
(A) scholarly appreciation for its longstanding artistic sophistication Author appreciates talk story, and its roots. This is probably it
(B) mild disappointment that it has not distinguished itself from other oral traditions Author does not express disappointment
(C) tentative approval of its resistance to critical evaluations Author is not tentative in his/her support of talk-story
(D) clear respect for the diversity of its ancient sources and cultural derivations Author gives respect, but not much is given in terms of the diversity/cultural derivations. A is better.
(E) open admiration for the way it uses song to express narrativeThe only reference to song is really Maxine's description of a writer = singer.