Question 123·Hard·Inferences
Historians have long prized the diaries of nineteenth-century polar explorer Ernest Lockwood as unvarnished records of Arctic weather patterns. Recently, however, historian Dana Xu compared the diary entries with Lockwood’s unpublished ship logs and letters to patrons, finding that each time Lockwood recorded exceptionally harsh conditions, he also sent out funding appeals exaggerating his vessel’s damage and crew’s privations. Xu argues that this pattern suggests that Lockwood shaped his diary narratives to advance fundraising goals and that these diaries, rather than serving as objective data, were _______.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For inference-based sentence completions, paraphrase the author’s claim immediately before the blank and use any contrast language (here, "rather than") to predict what the blank must do. Then eliminate choices that (1) preserve the old view the passage is disputing, (2) hedge in a way that undercuts the author’s conclusion, or (3) introduce an unsupported relationship among the documents.
Hints
Restate Xu’s conclusion in your own words
What does Xu think Lockwood was trying to accomplish by describing the worst conditions when he did?
Use the contrast in the sentence
The phrase "rather than serving as objective data" signals that the blank should describe something non-objective—something with an agenda.
Match the purpose
Pick the option that best matches the idea of fundraising (appealing to patrons/backers) rather than neutral record-keeping.
Be wary of “mostly objective” rephrasings
Any choice that keeps the diaries essentially reliable scientific records is unlikely to fit Xu’s argument.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the passage’s shift in viewpoint
The passage first describes the traditional view: historians prized the diaries as "unvarnished" (straightforward) records of Arctic weather.
Then it introduces new evidence from Xu that challenges that view.
Extract Xu’s evidence and conclusion
Xu finds a pattern: whenever Lockwood recorded "exceptionally harsh conditions" in the diary, he also sent funding appeals that exaggerated damage and hardship.
Xu then argues that this suggests Lockwood shaped his diary narratives to advance fundraising goals.
Use the sentence frame around the blank
The blank must fit this structure:
rather than serving as objective data, were _______.
So the completion should (1) contrast with objective/scientific records and (2) align with the idea that Lockwood was trying to secure money/support.
Evaluate each choice against Xu’s claim
Eliminate choices that keep the diaries mainly objective or that weaken Xu’s conclusion.
- A says the diaries were generally objective and the exaggeration stayed in the appeals, but Xu argues the diary narratives themselves were shaped for fundraising.
- B says the diaries were mostly accurate and didn’t distort the data; this downplays Xu’s point that the diaries were not objective data.
- D says the diaries were factual summaries of ship logs; Xu’s comparison is used to argue manipulation tied to fundraising, not that the diaries faithfully summarize the logs.
Select the choice that matches fundraising + non-objectivity
The only option that directly captures Xu’s inference—that the diaries were crafted to persuade potential funders rather than to record weather impartially—is:
calculated rhetorical tools aimed at attracting financial backers rather than purely scientific observations.