The Would-Be

Gentleman
by Olfson, Lewy
PHILOSOPHY TEACHER: Logic instructs us in the three processes of reasoning.
JOURDAIN: And what are the three processes of reasoning?
PHILOSOPHY TEACHER: Why, the first process, the second process, and the third process, of course!
JOURDAIN: Oh, no, that sounds much too complicated. Teach me how to write beautiful letters; there's something I can use.
PHILOSOPHY TEACHER: Do you wish to write in verse?
JOURDAIN: No, no, none of your verse stuff for me!
PHILOSOPHY TEACHER: Then you wish to learn prose?
JOURDAIN: No, neither verse nor prose.
PHILOSOPHY TEACHER: But it must be in one or the other. Whatever isn't prose is verse, and whatever isn't verse is prose!
Use the passage to answer the question.
Which theme is developed in this passage?
(1 point)
The pursuit of true knowledge takes time and effort.
Philosophy is the art of learning how to reason well.
Writing a beautiful letter is a practical skill.
Poetry and prose are not the same thing

1 answer

The theme developed in this passage is: Writing a beautiful letter is a practical skill.

Jourdain expresses a desire to learn how to write beautiful letters, indicating a focus on practical skills rather than the abstract concepts of reasoning or the distinction between prose and verse.