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Jeff_999 Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
A controversial question
The National Archives contain information so------ that researchers have been known never to publish because they cannot bear to bring their studies to an end.
(A) divisive
(B) seductive
(C) selective
(D) repetitive
(E) resourceful
Actually I've asked this question before. The answer provided in my transcript is A (I doubt it is a typo), but Mr. Micawber said he would've chosen B and some people also said they found it was B in some other exercises. I have no idea why it's A or B, becuasefirst I don't understand the structure of the sentence. So I re-post the question.
But before you tell me why it is B or A, please help me analyze the structure of the sentence.
Let's suppose it's B. What I'm confused is "researchers have been known never to publish".
How do you rephrase this sentence:
"The National Archives contain information so seductive that researchers have been known never to publish."
Thank you.
(A) divisive
(B) seductive
(C) selective
(D) repetitive
(E) resourceful
Actually I've asked this question before. The answer provided in my transcript is A (I doubt it is a typo), but Mr. Micawber said he would've chosen B and some people also said they found it was B in some other exercises. I have no idea why it's A or B, becuasefirst I don't understand the structure of the sentence. So I re-post the question.
But before you tell me why it is B or A, please help me analyze the structure of the sentence.
Let's suppose it's B. What I'm confused is "researchers have been known never to publish".
How do you rephrase this sentence:
"The National Archives contain information so seductive that researchers have been known never to publish."
Thank you.
Top answer
' As for, ' have been known never to publish' -- Good researchers seek definitive information before publishing, because if they publish faulty, or not up-to-date information, they can be criticized for not having been thorough or accurate. If the information in the National Archives is so divisive on a given subject, that divisiveness complicates the development of a publishable point-of-view. But 'known never to publish' would then be best explained by a fear of being wrong, not because 'they cannot bear to bring their studies to an end'.
- ' As for, ' have been known never to publish' -- Good researchers seek definitive information before publishing, because if they publish faulty, or not up-to-date information, they can be criticized for not having been thorough or accurate.
- If the information in the National Archives is so divisive on a given subject, that divisiveness complicates the development of a publishable point-of-view.
- But 'known never to publish' would then be best explained by a fear of being wrong, not because 'they cannot bear to bring their studies to an end'.
- If the information in the Archives is so seductive, there is the possibile implication that it is more interesting to continue researching than to bring the studies to an end.
- Given that final because clause, I think I like seductive better.
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14 Answers
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For me, the significant part is in the explanation, 'because they cannot bear to bring their studies to an end.'
As for, ' have been known never to publish'--
Good researchers seek definitive information before publishing, because if they publish faulty, or not up-to-date information, they can be criticized for not having
As for, ' have been known never to publish'--
Good researchers seek definitive information before publishing, because if they publish faulty, or not up-to-date information, they can be criticized for not having
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Yes, A would be nonsense. It's definitely B:
"The National Archives contain information | that is seductive to such an intense degree | that there have been researchers | who did not publish | because they could not bear | to conclude their studies."
MrP
"The National Archives contain information | that is seductive to such an intense degree | that there have been researchers | who did not publish | because they could not bear | to conclude their studies."
MrP
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Thank you, Davket and MrP. There are at least three things that I hope you will help clarify for me.
1. Why did the researchers not publish the seductive information contained in the National Archives?
2. The National Archives contains records, documments and the research findings by researchers, right?
3. Has anything contained in the National Archives been publis
1. Why did the researchers not publish the seductive information contained in the National Archives?
2. The National Archives contains records, documments and the research findings by researchers, right?
3. Has anything contained in the National Archives been publis
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1. Why did the researchers not publish the seductive information contained in the National Archives?
It means only some, not all, researchers. They are seduced by the endless amount of information, and find the search activity more interesting than the creative organization of it into a publishable form. Exploring can be its own end for some researchers.
It means only some, not all, researchers. They are seduced by the endless amount of information, and find the search activity more interesting than the creative organization of it into a publishable form. Exploring can be its own end for some researchers.
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Didn't you asked about this some weeks/months ago? I have a feeling of déjà vu...
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PieanneDidn't you asked about this some weeks/months ago? I have a feeling of déjà vu...
Yes, Pieanne, very long time ago, maybe the first time I contacted GRE. Remember those days I was idling around GRE test boards, and I redirected some questions here. Unexpectedly, I'm still unable to solve this question when I encountered it again.
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Jeff,
In some of the dialog in this thread, I had the feeling you may have misinterpreted both the original quote and what people were saying about it with regard to the word "seductive".
It is not the individual pieces of information that are seductive (attractive, interesting, fascinating) in themselves; it is the availability of such a great deal of interesting
In some of the dialog in this thread, I had the feeling you may have misinterpreted both the original quote and what people were saying about it with regard to the word "seductive".
It is not the individual pieces of information that are seductive (attractive, interesting, fascinating) in themselves; it is the availability of such a great deal of interesting
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Thank you CJ. You're so patient and considerate. Sometimes when I came across some tough questions, I didn't even know how to ask question properly, because the context was already beyond my understanding.
So, it's the accessibility of the seductive information by the public that causes researchers to be afraid it would put an end to their study?
But I still don't get this:
So, it's the accessibility of the seductive information by the public that causes researchers to be afraid it would put an end to their study?
But I still don't get this:
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Jeff, it's the sheer volume of data, the billions of available documents in the archives, that is so seductive to certain researchers. They can feel that they will never come to an end of researching the relevant information for the book they want to write.
"Publish what?" Publish the information they have collected from the archives in support of whatever article, essay, or book they
"Publish what?" Publish the information they have collected from the archives in support of whatever article, essay, or book they
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I think I get a little grip on that now. Researchers don't want to publish papers or books (pubishing means ending their studies), because they want to do more research on archives and retrieve more information from there to make their works more valuable. It's the seductiveness of the National Archives that drives the researchers to make endless studies on them.
Did I get it rig
Did I get it rig
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