The phrase 'visible workings' most likely means
A biographer who admires the subject faces a temptation to leave out what does not fit: the cruelty, the debts, the sulks. A biographer who dislikes the subject faces the opposite. Neither is serving the reader. Yet the ideal of simply 'telling it all' is also not available, since no life can be told in full, and selection is unavoidable. What can be asked is that the selection should be made honestly: that the evidence is represented fairly, that doubts are acknowledged and that the biographer does not hide facts that would change the reader's judgement. A biography which shows its reasoning invites the reader to disagree. In that respect, trust is earned less by claims of objectivity than by visible workings.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. that the biographer explains how conclusions were reached from the evidence
- Step 1: The phrase is linked to a biography that shows its reasoning and invites disagreement.
- Step 2: Visible workings are the steps of reasoning.
Answer
that the biographer explains how conclusions were reached from the evidence.
Why not the others: Visible workings means showing the reasoning; it does not mean a cost appendix, photographs, daily routines or hidden sources.
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