The manuscripts of the eight extant Latin tragedies identify the plays as the Marci Lucii Annei Senecae Tragoediae. Since nobody of that name is known, modern scholars believe the dramasto be the work of Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger, the well-known philosopher, orator and politician. Clearly the tragedies were written during Seneca’s lifetime: internal references to earlier poets, most notably Ovid, indicate that the dramas cannot have been composed prior to the second decade C.E., and the plays must have been written by 96C.E., when Quintilian quotes Medea, one of the tragedies.
It is remarkably, however, that Seneca himself never mentions the plays, since there are certain passages in them that could be used to illustrate points of his philosophy. There are at least two possible explanations. In the early Roman Empire, playwrights were sometimes exiled or executed for line constructed as directed against the emperor; thus, Seneca’s silence may be simple prudence. But if anyone could safely attach his name to dramas, surely it would be Seneca, the emperor’s tutor. And although Herrmann offers Seneca’s modesty as an explanation, Seneca is not averse to referring to his other writings. The evidence for equating Seneca with the author of the tragedies seems circumstantial.
2. The author of the passage makes which of the following claims about the eight extant Latin tragedies?
A. There is only circumstantial evidence that the plays were all written by the same author.
B. Scholars have persistently attributed the plays to Seneca despite evidence that some of them may have been composed prior to his lifetime.
C. Evidence in the manuscripts of the plays identifies them as having been written by Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger.
D. The plays contain some lines that have been construed as being directed against the emperor.
E. The plays contain material that could illustrate certain aspects of Seneca’s philosophy.
然后就是第二点
原文中第二段两个解释小点，①早期罗马帝国很多剧作家因为自己的文字被理解（注意construed）为有针对皇上的意思所以被流放或者领便当，所以，S什么都不说可能仅仅是因为谨慎
OK 于是你在这里多遐想了一层有可能S写了但是怕被断章取义领便当所以不说.... 虽然文章没有说明这一点，不过先放着，再往下看
But if anyone could safely attach his name to dramas, surely it would be S，the emperor's tutor. 感觉就是作者专门为防止你的遐想补充了这一点：转折——告诉你在这些剧作家中S算是最有资格获得免死金牌的，所以因为怕死不说这个前提大概率不存在
同选错...重新分析
题目问作者的态度就只取2段的作者观点！
先看E：
第一句passage expl philosophy， 正好是E的同义改写：（重点是since！！千万别以为有了however后面detail就不重要了！！！我就犯了这个错误:dizzy:）
E. The plays contain material（some passages） that could illustrate certain aspects of Seneca’s philosophy. （illustrate points of his philosophy）
再看D：
原文：playwrights were sometimes exiled or executed for line constructed as directed against the emperor; thus, Seneca’s silence may be simple prudence.
D. The plays contain some lines that have been construed as being directed against the emperor.
（因果倒置）
反emperor→被execute→S很谨慎（→箭头代表“导致”）
A→B， B一定是因为A吗？
不一定！！！有点像逻辑的conclusion题的错误答案，不能倒推。（也可能是他因导致啥的）
eg 苹果有毒→白雪公主没吃 也有可能白雪公主不喜欢吃苹果所以没吃：）所以不能倒推没吃是因为苹果有毒
同样不能倒推 S谨慎是因为抨击了E
D更像strengthen了“S害怕被execute”