Medieval Arabs had manuscripts

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct62% picked this

   A number of medieval Arab translators possessed manuscripts of the Homeric epics in

   Why this is right

   This answer basically provides a Necessary Assumption of the author's storyline. Arabs could only translate the texts they possessed. If they didn't have a copy of Homer's ancient Greek manuscripts, then whether they had interest in Homer or not, they wouldn't have been able to translate Homer. The fact that they possessed manuscripts of Homer but those manuscripts weren't translated until modern times increases the plausibility of the idea that the medieval Arab poets weren't interested in Homer, which in turn increases the plausibility of the conclusion that the medieval Arab poets weren't interested in Aristotle. This is one of those Strengthen correct answers that (because it's providing a Necessary Assumption) is really more about avoiding the opposite. If Arab translators didn't have any manuscripts of Homer, then that would badly weaken the argument. That would allow someone to say that Arab poets were interested in Aristotle's Poetics, and thus interested in Homer, but just had no ability to translate Homer since they didn't have his manuscripts. Since this answer would badly weaken if it weren't true, it strengthens at least somewhat to be told that it is true.

   Skill tested: Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   62%
2. B

   Too Weak8% picked this

   Medieval Arabic story cycles, such as the Arabian Nights, are in some ways similar to parts

   Too Weak: in some ways similar Opposite (if anything) You could probably take any book or story in the world and say that it is "in some ways similar to parts" of the Homeric epics. That book you're reading has characters? And a plot? And a setting? Wow, well then it's similar in some ways to parts of the Homeric epics. Also, this answer seems more like it would help someone argue that the Arab poets would have been interested in Homer, which is the opposite of what the author is thinking.

   8%
3. C

   No Impact5% picked this

   In addition to translating from Greek, medieval Arab translators produced Arabic editions of many works originally written in

   Cool fact, (C), but translations from other languages are completely out of scope to this conversation about translating Greek texts by Aristotle and Homer.

   5%
4. D

   Out of Scope: modern Arab poets15% picked this

   Aristotle’ s Poetics has frequently been cited and commented on by

   We don't care what modern Arab poets are interested in. We know that Homer has been translated into Arabic by modern times. This argument is about assessing what medieval Arab poets were into.

   15%
5. E

   Unclear Impact11% picked this

   Aristotle’s Poetics is largely concerned with drama, and dramatic works were written and performed

   This might seem to kind of support the idea that medieval Arab poets wouldn't have had interest in Aristotle's Poetics, if it's largely concerned with drama. For this to strengthen, we'd be assuming that poets were usually not interested in stuff that was largely concerned with drama. But is that a safe assumption? We might be adding on too much there. If philosophers were interested in Poetics, even though it was about drama, then it's very possible that poets might be interested too (poetry seems at least as relevant to drama as philosophy does).

   11%