Those who support the continued reading and performance of Shakespeare's plays maintain that in England appreciation ...

Naz September 25, 2014

The argument first introduces a claim supported by some people who advocate the continued reading and performance of Shakespeare's plays; these people maintain that, in England, "appreciation for his work has always extended beyond educated elites and that ever since Shakespeare's own time his plays have always been known and loved by comparatively uneducated people."

But, the argument clearly presents this claim to subsequently quash it. The passage brings forth the evidence that Shakespeare's books were very finely made and expensive, and therefore, must have been financially unattainable for people of ordinary means. So, the earlier claim that appreciation for Shakespeare's work extended beyond the educated elites falls apart.

Thus, the main point of the argument is that the claim that Shakespeare's plays were known and loved by uneducated people is not true since only those who were educated and had money could afford his books, i.e. answer choice (B): "provide evidence that at some time in the past appreciation for Shakespeare's plays was confined to educated elites."

Answer choice (E) states: "confirm the skepticism of the educated elite concerning the worth of Shakespeare's plays." This was never mentioned in the passage. The passage never discusses any skepticism held by the educated elite, nor does it ever mention the worth of Shakespeare's plays.

The argument tries to show you, through the use of evidence, that those who knew and loved Shakespeare's plays must have been the educated elite, since those who were uneducated could not have afforded his books.

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

Alex April 3, 2015

Great explanation!

Tejas May 4, 2020

Naz,
'The uneducated could not have afforded his books ' does not follow,right?
that's makes me think option B is wrong