Historians have long recognized the Japanese sword, or nihonto, as one of the finest cutting weapons ever produced. But to regard the sword that is synonymous with the samurai as merely a weapon is to ignore what makes it so special. The Japanese sword has always been considered a splendid weapon and even a spiritual entity. The traditional Japanese adage "the sword is the soul of the samurai" reflects not only the sword's importance to its wielder but also its permanent connection to its creator, the master smith.
Master smiths may not have been considered artists in the classical sense, but each smith exerted great care in the process of creating swords, no two of which were ever forged in exactly the same way. Over hundreds of hours, two types of steel were repeatedly heated, hammered, and folded together into thousands of very thin layers, producing a sword with an extremely sharp and durable cutting edge and a flexible, shock – absorbing blade. It was common, though optional, for a master smith to place a physical signature on a blade; moreover, each smith's secret forging techniques left an idiosyncratic structural signature on the smith's blades. Each master smith brought a high level of devotion, skill, and attention to detail to the sword – making process, and the sword itself was a reflection of the smith's personal honor and ability. This effort made each blade as distinctive as the samurai who wielded it, such that today the Japanese sword is recognized as much for its artistic merit as for its historical significance.
The primary purpose of the passage is to
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Incorrect
Sample passage map (yours will likely differ):
(1) J sword: not just weapon, spirit
(2) Master smith: skilled
-how to make
-artistic merit + history
The point (articulate to yourself; don't write): Japanese sword is a weapon and a work of art, important to both samurai and smith. The smiths were basically artists.
Next, identify the question type. The wording primary purpose indicates that this is a Primary Purpose, or Main Idea, question. Glance at your map to find the support and try to predict the answer. Finally, go to the answers to find a match.
(A) The passage does not challenge the idea that historians admired the swords; the entire passage reflects great admiration for the swords and their makers.
(B) The second paragraph does talk about how swords are forged, but does not present this information as new. Moreover, information about the forging process is only one part of the passage; it is not the overall point of the passage.
(C) An obsolete weapon would no longer exist today; the passage does not indicate that Japanese swords are no longer used or no longer produced.
(D) The passage does indicate that the swords were a reflection of the master smith's personal honor, but this is a narrow detail; it is not the point of the entire passage.
(E) CORRECT. The passage does explain the value of the sword to the samurai (in the first paragraph) and to the master smith (in the second paragraph).
