Question 36

Question

Dull, predictable, and written with a distinct lack of
inspiration and care, Harry Maywood’s western
Outlaws Outside of Town is an effort to read. The
only entertainment a reader will receive will be the
jolts of laughter when they recognize yet another
historical inaccuracy. Although Maywood’s previous
novel had some charming moments and adequate
descriptive passages, this one is a must miss.
A reader will need to rely on their memory of
Western towns as depicted on television shows and
movies to visualize the setting of this story, because
Maywood provides only the most basic and
perfunctory of descriptions. The reader is informed
that the hay stored in a barn is “straw-colored” and
that the noise of an incoming train’s signal sounds
“whistle-y.” None of the characters are described in
much depth, although Maywood does mention that
Sheriff Wyatt “smiled a wide smile” two or three
hundred times.
The plot of the story, such as it is, follows the
characters’ attempts to fight off Weston Wayne and
his gang of criminals who live in the hills nearby and
prey on the daily stagecoach. Because Sheriff
Wyatt is established in the opening pages of the
story as universally loved by everyone, there is no
suspense involved in wondering whether the
townspeople will rally behind him to face the
criminals. And because Maywood describes both
the outlaw Weston Wayne and Sheriff Wyatt with
the words “smiled a wide smile” over and over, it is
not the plot twist Maywood thinks it is twelve
chapters later when he reveals that Weston Wayne
and Sheriff Wyatt are twin brothers.
Throughout the novel, sloppy errors pop up to pull
the reader out of the fictional world Maywood is
laboring to create. One character arrives by train in
the neighboring town ten years before the first
railroads were built in the West. Another character
is described as reading Mark Twain’s A Connecticut
Yankee in King Arthur’s Court years before this
book was published. Readers who love the genre
will be disappointed with Maywood’s book.
A)
Use the passage to answer the question.
Which statement best describes the evidence
that supports the book review of Outlaws
Outside of Town?
(1 point)
The reviewer effectively shows the
book’s shortcomings by including specific
details and direct quotations to illustrate
the errors and poor writing.
The reviewer ineffectively supports their
main claims about the book because
there is not enough information about
the book’s author to situate the reader’s
perspective.
The book depicts the conflict between a
criminal and a sheriff, who are eventually
revealed to be twin brothers.
The book’s factual errors, such as when
trains first existed in the West, ruin the
world the author is trying to create.

Answer 1

The statement that best describes the evidence that supports the book review of Outlaws Outside of Town is:

The reviewer effectively shows the book’s shortcomings by including specific details and direct quotations to illustrate the errors and poor writing.

This choice highlights the reviewer's use of specific examples, such as the lack of detailed character descriptions and the historical inaccuracies, to substantiate their critique of the novel.