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Definition: (verb) to act to reconcile differences between two parties.
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What is the slope of a line that passes through the points (5, -2) and (-1, 3)?
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GRE: Reading Comprehension Question #1

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Although Dorothy Wordsworth was convinced that her journal entries were not literature, they were seamlessly incorporated by her brother William into some of his most famous poems, altered only by his use of the first-person pronoun, the "I." The important question concerning the relationship between Dorothy and William, however, is not whether William's borrowings constituted exploitation, but rather how the relationship contributed to Dorothy's inability to conceive of herself as a writer.

Traditionally in literature, the authorial self, the "I," is identifiably masculine. The dominated "other" is feminine. In William's poems, the "other" is usually Nature, often personified as Dorothy. While these literary roles helped to sustain the close relationship between the two in real life, they also reinforced Dorothy's acceptance of the norms which defined her as "other." Thus, her access to authorial self-consciousness was blocked not just by the fact of her gender, but also by her accepted role in her brother's life and poetry.

Question:The passage is primarily concerned with answering which of the following questions?

Choices:
A. Whether Dorothy Wordsworth was aware of her role in her relationship with William Wordsworth
B. Whether Dorothy Wordsworth was exploited by her brother's use of her journal entries
C. How William Wordsworth altered Dorothy Wordsworth's writings for inclusion in his poems
D. Whether the relationship between Dorothy and William Wordsworth was psychologically harmful
E. How Dorothy Wordsworth's relationship to her brother reinforced her assumptions about herself



This short humanities passage is about Dorothy Wordsworth and her relationship with her brother, William. More specifically it is about how that relationship affected her attitude to her own writing, and her view of herself as a writer.

The first paragraph gives you a big hint as to what the whole passage is about when it says "The important question is." Take note of this. Not surprisingly, the entire second paragraph is spent answering this "important question." The main idea raised in paragraph #1 and discussed in paragraph #2 is "how [Dorothy and William's] relationship contributed to Dorothy's inability to conceive of herself as a writer." Answer choice (E) best summarizes the preceding quote.
 

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