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 author explains the way in which swords were made in order 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 in order to language indicates that this is a Specific Purpose (Why) question. Paragraph 2 explains how the swords were made; why did the author include this information? The beginning and the end of the paragraph are where you can find support. First, the author says that smiths may not have been considered artists in the classical sense, foreshadowing the idea that perhaps they could still be considered artists. The end of the passage indicates that the forging process resulted in such a distinctive blade that the sword is now recognized for its artistic merit as well as its historical significance. Predict an answer (likely something about artistry or artistic merit), and then work through the answers using the process of elimination.
(A) The passage does call the Japanese sword one of the finest cutting weapons ever produced, but this is not quite as strong as calling it the most important handheld weapon in history. In any case, this is not the author's purpose in describing how the sword was made.
(B) The passage claims that the smith's secret forging techniques, not the skill of the samurai, made a blade unique.
(C) CORRECT. The default definition for the smiths is craftspeople, but the detailed information about the forging process, as well as the opening and closing sentences, indicate that the smiths might be considered artists as well.
(D) The passage discusses both the artistic merits and the practical qualities of the swords, but the passage does not indicate whether the smiths thought one was more important than the other.
(E) The last sentence does talk about both of these concepts, but it does not indicate that one is more important than the other.
