GRE Reading Comprehension

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Source: CHP

Modern archaeological finds can still contribute much to the study of ancient literature. For example, forty years ago a survey of the early Greek dramatist Aeschylus' plays would have started with The Suppliant Women. Many factors internal to the play, but perhaps most especially the prominence of the chorus, led scholars to consider it one of Aeschylus' earlier works. The consensus was that here was a drama truly reflecting an early stage in the evolution of tragedy out of choral lyric. The play was dated as early as the 490's B.C., in any event, well before Aeschylus' play The Persians of 472 B.C. Then, in 1952, a fragment of papyrus found at Oxyrhynchus was published. The fragment announced that Aeschylus won first prize with his Danaid tetralogy, of which The Suppliant Women is the opening play, and defeated Sophocles in the process. Sophocles did not compete in any dramatic contest before 468 B.C., when he won his first victory. Hence, the Danaid tetralogy must be put after 468 B.C.

Question List: 1

According to the passage, in the absence of definite knowledge concerning the dates of composition of ancient literary works, literary historians do which of the following when trying to establish the chronology of an author's work?

  • A Make assumptions about a single work's date of composition if such assumptions would not seriously affect interpretations of other works by the same author.
  • B Draw inferences concerning the date of a work's composition based on evidence internal to that work and on the author's other works.
  • C Ignore the date of a work's composition which is supplied by archaeological research when literary factors internal to the work contradict that date.
  • D Refrain from speculation concerning a work's date of composition unless archaeological finds produce information concerning it.
  • E Estimate the date of a work's composition without attempting to relate it to the author's development as an artist.

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