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When answering specific detail questions, it seems that sometimes we have to refer to the broader context of the passage, and other times we don't.

For example, question 12 requires that we understand the general meaning of the entire third paragraph. The CR "excessively impractical" is best supported in lines 28-31. Just reading the lines presentd in the stimulus (27-28) provides no support for this answer choice.

So what confuses me is that question 21 of the exact same prep test requires the exact opposite process. When I answered this question, I referred back to the end of the first paragraph and beginning of the second paragraph (lines 17-23). The general meaning of this section is that each section of the Koch curve resembles the entirety of the curve; each section is an example of the entire curve. So I chose answer choice A.

I don't see where C is supported in the passage. While I think that "fully explicit" is closest to meaning to "expressed unambiguously," in the context of this passage I feel it's closer in meaning to "illustrated by example, since that was the whole point of the first 2 paragraphs. If I had never read the passage I would have chosen C easily. Placing the quote in context, however, led me to pick A. Thoughts?

walterwhite wrote:When answering specific detail questions, it seems that sometimes we have to refer to the broader context of the passage, and other times we don't.

For example, question 12 requires that we understand the general meaning of the entire third paragraph. The CR "excessively impractical" is best supported in lines 28-31. Just reading the lines presentd in the stimulus (27-28) provides no support for this answer choice.

Almost all specific detail questions that quote lines require you to read around for context. But that doesn't mean the question is asking you for the meaning of the paragraph. Rather, the rest of the paragraph informs the meaning those words have.

walterwhite wrote:So what confuses me is that question 21 of the exact same prep test requires the exact opposite process. When I answered this question, I referred back to the end of the first paragraph and beginning of the second paragraph (lines 17-23). The general meaning of this section is that each section of the Koch curve resembles the entirety of the curve; each section is an example of the entire curve. So I chose answer choice A.

I don't see where C is supported in the passage. While I think that "fully explicit" is closest to meaning to "expressed unambiguously," in the context of this passage I feel it's closer in meaning to "illustrated by example, since that was the whole point of the first 2 paragraphs. If I had never read the passage I would have chosen C easily. Placing the quote in context, however, led me to pick A. Thoughts?

As I wrote above, the question is about those specific words. The rest of the paragraphs informs how to read them, but the words themselves matter. There is no english sentence I could write where "fully explicit" means "illustrated by an example". Here's the relevant definition of explicit:

Explicit (adjective): stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt: the speaker's intentions were not made explicit.
• (of a person) stating something in a clear and detailed way: let me be explicit.

Fully explicit just means stated completely clearly.

Also, note that the two questions are different. Question 12 is "why did they say it?". Question 21 is "what do the words mean?". The latter question will usually focus more on the words themselves. Though for words with multiple meanings, you'll need context. But explicit only has one meaning, apart from the sexual one.