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Question

Difficulty: MediumExplicit Detail Retrieval

Passage:
In 1902, French linguist Jules Gilliéron, alongside his assistant Edmond Edmont, published the first fascicles of the Atlas Linguistique de la France, a landmark work that fundamentally altered the study of dialectology. Unlike previous dialectologists who relied on self-administered questionnaires sent to local schoolteachers or educated elites, Gilliéron dispatched Edmont to 639 survey points across French-speaking regions. Armed with a standardized questionnaire of 1,920 words and phrases, Edmont recorded responses directly from uneducated, lifelong rural residents using a unified phonetic transcription system. Gilliéron deliberately selected Edmont—a non-linguist with an extraordinarily trained ear—to prevent theoretical bias from influencing phonetic notation. Furthermore, Edmont conducted all interviews single-handedly over four years, thereby eliminating inter-observer variance, a persistent flaw in earlier multi-investigator projects. Critics initially claimed that relying on a single informant per location compromised statistical validity. However, Gilliéron contended that his primary objective was not comprehensive demographic sampling, but mapping geographical boundaries of specific sound shifts (isoglosses).

According to the passage, for which of the following reasons did Gilliéron select Edmond Edmont to conduct the field interviews?

  1. He possessed exceptional auditory acute skills while lacking theoretical linguistic preconceptions.Answer
  2. B
    He had extensive experience training local schoolteachers to administer standardized dialect questionnaires.
  3. C
    He was an educated resident who belonged to the local elite of the rural survey points.
  4. D
    He intended to compile statistically representative demographic samples across all 639 regions.
  5. E
    He organized a multi-investigator team to minimize individual observer variance across interviews.

Answer

Gilliéron selected Edmond Edmont because Edmont possessed exceptional auditory acute skills while lacking theoretical linguistic preconceptions.
The passage explicitly answers why Edmont was chosen: 'Gilliéron deliberately selected Edmont—a non-linguist with an extraordinarily trained ear—to prevent theoretical bias from influencing phonetic notation.' The option stating that he possessed exceptional auditory acute skills without holding pre-existing theoretical linguistic biases directly paraphrases these two stated points.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the target detail in the question stem.
The question asks for the specific reason why Gilliéron chose Edmond Edmont to perform the field interviews.
Explicit detail questions require locating the specific sentence in the text that directly provides the cause or rationale requested.
2
Locate the explicit reference to Edmont's selection in the passage.
Found in the text: 'Gilliéron deliberately selected Edmont—a non-linguist with an extraordinarily trained ear—to prevent theoretical bias from influencing phonetic notation.'
Direct text retrieval requires finding exact facts rather than making broad inferences.
3
Match the explicit fact to the option that accurately paraphrases it.
The statement specifying that Edmont possessed exceptional auditory acute skills ('extraordinarily trained ear') while lacking theoretical linguistic preconceptions ('a non-linguist... to prevent theoretical bias') is an accurate paraphrase.
GRE explicit detail correct choices paraphrase key terms without changing the factual scope.

Key Concept

Explicit Detail Retrieval
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Topics

Explicit Detail Retrieval

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