Editor: Most of the books of fiction we have published were submitted by literary agents for writers they represented...

Naz on September 12, 2015

Q1: Most of the books of fiction we have published were submitted by literary agents for writers they represented

Q1: FP-most-SLA
SLA-some-FP

Q2: the rest (since the others were majority, the rest will be less than a majority, i.e. some) were received directly from fiction writers from whom we requested submissions.

Q2: FP-some-RS
RS-some-FP

Now, of the fiction books published, we have a special case where they were either submitted by literary agents, or they were requested submissions. There is no other way a book of fiction was published by this editor. Therefore, taking in the first two statements in context, this mean that if it was a book of fiction published by the editor, then it was submitted by a literary agent or they requested the submissions:

FP ==> SLA or RS
not SLA and not RS ==> not FP

P1: No nonfiction manuscript has been given serious attention, let alone been published, unless it was from a renowned figure or we had requested the manuscript after careful review of the writer's book proposal.

So: if a nonfiction manuscript was given serious attention or it was published, then it was from a renowned figure or we had requested the manuscript.

P1: NFSA or NFP ==> RF or RS
not RS and not RF ==> not NFSA and not NFP


We are asked which answer choice must be true.

Well, (E) tells us that we have "not SLA and not RS" meaning - according to the principle rule we came up with in context - that the published book was not a work of fiction. So, if a nonfiction work was published, we know - according to P1 - that it was either from a renowned figure or the editor had requested it. Well, we know that it was unrequested. So, it must be true that it was from by a renowned figure. Therefore, answer choice (E) is correct.

Hope that helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions.