Reading Comprehension

PT158 · S1 · P2 · Q9 Trickster vs. Picaro

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Native American stories often feature a character called the trickster, a comic figure who has both mortal weaknesses and supernatural powers.

Topic

The differences between the Native American trickster and the European picaro as literary/comic figures.

Framework

Challenge Position

Main Point

Although both the Native American trickster and the European picaro are marginal, morally flawed comic characters, grouping them together under the label "trickster" obscures important differences—most notably that the picaro is used for social satire whereas the trickster's foibles instruct about universal human weaknesses. (Main Point sentence: – beginning of P2)

P1: Introduction to Trickster and Picaro

The passage opens by describing the trickster character in Native American stories and how critics have applied the same label to the central figure of European picaresque novels, the picaro, since they both share traits like being outsiders with flawed morals.

P2: Author Pushes Back—Key Differences, Picaro's Role

Here the author argues that, despite similarities, calling both characters "tricksters" hides real differences. The picaro, a roguish male, acts as satire's agent, exposing society's hypocrisy by openly living out the vices others hide, and his story is about the tension between him and society.

P3: Contrasting the Trickster—Role and Purpose

Unlike the picaro, the trickster is not satirical; instead, as an animal-human figure in myth, the trickster's actions serve as warnings about personal flaws, not as critiques of society. The trickster is inherently on the margins by nature, not because society puts him there.

9.

Based on the author's view in the passage, applying the term "trickster" to the character of the picaro is most similar to which one of the following?

  1. claiming that someone supports an

    Weak Match

    This gets correct that we should be hearing about a "dumb / inappropriate match", but the logical similarities end there. The difference between extreme and centrist is just degree, not type. The author wasn't saying that trickster or picaro were a more extreme degree of the other one. He was saying they were just two different things.

    5% picked this

  2. Correct

    characterizing the panda as a

    Why this is right

    Here's an answer that's saying, "we shouldn't characterize a panda as a bear, just because superficially they are similar", which would match up with the author saying, "we shouldn't characterize a picaro story as a trickster story, even though they're superficially similar." And then this also matches the idea that a deeper understanding shows you they're different. A deeper understanding shows that a panda really isn't similar to bear (it's similar to a raccoon). The passage doesn't have that third ingredient of 'raccoon', but we can interpret this part of the answer to mean "a panda is quite different from a bear", just like "a trickster story is quite different from a picaro story". Were we told that trickster and picaro are superficially similar? Yes, in the last sentence of the first paragraph: both P and T are heroes of adventures, both live on the margins and are morally flawed Were we told that a deeper understanding would make us see that the panda is not really a bear (a picaro is not really a trickster)? Yes, in the first sentence of the 2nd paragraph: closer examination reveals = a deeper understanding shows The fact that "superficial similarities" and "deeper understanding shows" match up with the two most important sentences of the passage is why this beats (D). Purpose Pivots: but, yet, however, recently Last sentence of 1st paragraph -- Recently First sentence of second paragraph -- Yet

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

    75% picked this

  3. calling a court decision a

    Bad Match

    This doesn't even get off the ground since calling something a milestone because it's significant is an appropriate use of that metaphor. We're looking for an inappropriate use of a term (since the author thinks applying trickster to picaro is inappropriate).

    2% picked this

  4. classifying a species of pine

    Weaker Match

    This is worth considering, since it would be inappropriate (or at least an outlier case) to classify a pine species as evergreen, if its needles turn brown and fall off during certain seasons. How can it be evergreen if it's sometimes brown? But the rest of this answer choice doesn't match any logical relationship in the passage as well as (B) does. The objection in (B), like in the passage, is that "even though they're superficially similar, closer examination reveals they're very difference". The objection here in (D) is like, "we shouldn't call X a type of Y since the behavior of X contradicts the definition of Y". (We can't call this pine species an evergreen since the fact that it sometimes turns brown contradicts the idea that it's evergreen.)

    12% picked this

  5. describing a common weed as

    Bad Match

    This doesn't even get off the ground since calling something aggressive because it outcompetes its peers is an appropriate use of a term. We're looking for an inappropriate use of a term (since the author thinks applying trickster to picaro is inappropriate).

    6% picked this

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