The phrase 'a better tale but a worse explanation' suggests that the single-fire story is
The Great Library at Alexandria is often imagined as a single grand building destroyed in one dramatic fire. Historians, however, describe a slower story. Funding declined under later rulers, scholars left the city, and scrolls that were not recopied crumbled with age. Blaming one blaze, they argue, makes for a better tale but a worse explanation.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. more dramatic but less accurate
- 'equally dramatic and accurate' ignores the clear disparity asserted by the contrasting terms 'better' and 'worse'.
- 'both boring and false' overlooks that the author explicitly calls it a 'better tale' (compelling/dramatic narrative).
- 'more accurate but less exciting' reverses the two components of the comparison entirely.
- 'both boring and false' overlooks that the author explicitly calls it a 'better tale' (compelling/dramatic narrative).
- 'more accurate but less exciting' reverses the two components of the comparison entirely.
- Step 1: Break down the parallel contrast: a 'better tale' versus a 'worse explanation.'
- Step 2: A 'better tale' means the single blaze makes for a more compelling and dramatic narrative.
- Step 3: A 'worse explanation' means it is historically less accurate than the reality of gradual decay.
Answer
more dramatic but less accurate.
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