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Difficulty: MediumEvaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content

A writer is editing an essay about the history of the crossword puzzle and has drafted the following paragraph:

Arthur Wynne, an editor at the New York World, was tasked in 1913 with creating a new game for the newspaper’s Sunday fun section. Remembering a game called "magic squares" from his childhood in England, Wynne designed a diamond-shaped grid with blank spaces and clues to help readers fill in the letters. He called his creation a "Word-Cross." The game was an instant success, prompting readers to write in for more puzzles, which eventually led to the standardized crossword puzzles we solve today.

The writer is considering adding the following sentence to the paragraph (placed after the sentence "He called his creation a 'Word-Cross.'"):

"Wynne's father, a local metalworker, had also taught him how to play chess and checkers during their family travels."

Should the writer make this addition?

  1. A
    Yes, because it explains why Wynne was interested in designing games for the newspaper.
  2. B
    Yes, because it provides necessary background information about Wynne’s upbringing in England.
  3. No, because it interrupts the narrative focus on the creation of the crossword puzzle with unrelated details about Wynne's father and other games.Answer
  4. D
    No, because it contradicts the paragraph's claim that the crossword puzzle was based on "magic squares."

Answer

No, because it interrupts the narrative focus on the creation of the crossword puzzle with unrelated details about Wynne's father and other games.
The correct option is the one stating that the sentence should not be added because it interrupts the narrative focus with unrelated details. The paragraph focuses on how Arthur Wynne created the crossword puzzle in 1913 and how it became popular. Mentioning his father's profession and other games like chess and checkers is tangential and distracts the reader from the main narrative.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the main focus of the existing paragraph.
The paragraph focuses on the origin of the crossword puzzle, detailing how Arthur Wynne designed it in 1913 and its subsequent success.
To evaluate relevance, you must first establish the central topic of the passage.
2
Evaluate the content of the proposed sentence.
The proposed sentence introduces information about Wynne's father's profession (metalworker) and other games he learned (chess and checkers).
This step determines whether the new information aligns with or departs from the established focus.
3
Compare the proposed sentence with the paragraph's focus to make a decision and identify the correct justification.
The sentence should not be added because it introduces off-topic details about Wynne's family and unrelated games, which interrupts the paragraph's focus on the crossword puzzle. The correct choice must reflect this decision and logical reasoning.
This allows you to match the correct reasoning with the choices without relying on superficial keyword matches.

Key Concept

Evaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content
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Topics

Evaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content

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