In November 1753, the British author Sarah Fielding accepted half the payment for
her novel The Cry and asked that the other half, when due, go to her “or to whomsoever
I shall appoint,” perhaps indicating that the remaining share was intended for someone
else. Indeed, many think that the novel was a collaborative venture between Fielding
and Jane Collier. This particular collaboration was likely enough, as the two were close
friends with common interests. They wrote jointly authored letters, were both published
authors with a lively interest in each other’s work, and were enthusiastic supporters
of didacticism and innovation in fiction—central concerns of The Cry. However,
contemporaries ascribed the work solely to Fielding, and there is nothing in the novel
that is incompatible with Fielding’s other writings.
It can be inferred that the author of the passage would agree with which of the
following claims about The Cry?
A It develops themes commonly found in published works.
B It reflects an interest in the purposes to which fiction may be put.
C It contains elements that are incompatible with any of Collier’s solo
writings.
D It shows that the extent of Collier and Fielding’s shared interests was not
as wide as is generally thought.
E Parts of it were written jointly by Fielding and Collier.
Explanation The passage states that The Cry’s “central concerns” are “didacticism and innovation in fiction,” so Choice B is correct. The passage does not discuss how popular the novel’s
themes are (Choice A), whether the writing is compatible with Collier’s (Choice C), or
what the novel shows about the extent of Collier and Fielding’s joint interests (Choice D). Finally, Choice E is incorrect, as the author of the passage never takes a stand on whether the novel was written by Fielding alone or in collaboration with Collier.
How is choice E incorrect? The official explanation says that the author never takes a stand on whether novel was written alone or in collaboration. BUT “Indeed, many think that the novel was a collaborative venture between Fielding and Jane Collier. This particular collaboration was likely enough, as the two were close friends with common interests.” This directly contradicts the evidence right? Isn’t this the author suggesting that he or she believes that the collaboration is likely and not something suggested by “many” who think the novel was a collaboration? If it is, in fact, something suggested by others and not the author, what indicates that?
To add to the question, this is according to ChatGPT:
Yes, option E is better than option B for this specific question. Here’s why:
Option E: Parts of it were written jointly by Fielding and Collier.
The passage implies that collaboration between Fielding and Collier is likely due to their friendship and shared interests, suggesting that the author leans toward the possibility of joint authorship.
Option B: It reflects an interest in the purposes to which fiction may be put.
While this is also true about the novel’s themes (didacticism and innovation in fiction), the passage’s focus is more on the likelihood of collaboration between the two authors rather than exploring the purposes of fiction in general.
Since the passage explicitly discusses the likelihood of collaboration, option E aligns more directly with the author’s inference, making it the stronger choice.
I couldn’t clearly understand why D is wrong.
The passage says that generally people thought they had shared interest in this part :- Indeed, many think that the novel was a collaborative venture between Fielding
and Jane Collier. This particular collaboration was likely enough, as the two were close
friends with common interests.
and then author contrasts this using this part
However,
contemporaries ascribed the work solely to Fielding, and there is nothing in the novel
that is incompatible with Fielding’s other writings.*
So can’t it be said that the author would agree with the statement that their shared interest were not as wide as generally thought ?
Also what is the evidence that the author also believes that Fielding and Collier did not write Cry together? Author has only said that the contemporaries ascribed the work solely to Fielding.