SAT Section 5 - Group 3

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  • 1/24 Questions

    The child had a tendency toward aggressive behavior, a ------- fighting rather than resolving differences amicably.

    • Propensity for
    • Confusion about
    • Disregard of
    • Hostility toward
    • Compunction about
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For each question in this section, select the best answer from among the choices given.

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  • 2. 

    Each passage below is followed by questions based on its content. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in each passage and in any introductory material that may be provided. “Mechanical pencils rule,” my fifteen-year-old grandniece, Genevieve, declared when I invited her to be her generation’s voice on school supplies. “Nobody sharpens anymore.” Then, continuing with a fashion (Line 5) maven’s hyperbole and arbitrary imperatives, she gave a passionate disquisition on types of clickers, new grips, smaller lead sizes, and other niceties of pencil selection. As she consigned the yellow-painted wooden pencil to the wastebasket of history, I felt a rush of nostalgia for (Line 10) the perfumed sharpener shavings of my youth. The author mentions “sharpener shavings” (line 10) in order to portray a mood of

    • Unrestrained joy

    • Sentimental reminiscence

    • Bitter disappointment

    • Cautious optimism

    • Dark foreboding

    Correct Answer
    A. Sentimental reminiscence
    Explanation
    The author mentions "sharpener shavings" in order to evoke a feeling of nostalgia and sentimentality. This phrase suggests a fond memory of the author's youth and the act of sharpening pencils, which is now being replaced by mechanical pencils. The mention of "perfumed" sharpener shavings further emphasizes the sentimental nature of the author's reminiscence.

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  • 3. 

    Black Americans in Flight, a mural honoring several aviation pioneers, also ------- the 1992 spaceflight of astronaut Mae Jemison.

    • Discerns

    • Introduces

    • Approximates

    • Commemorates

    • Asserts

    Correct Answer
    A. Commemorates
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "commemorates." The sentence mentions a mural called "Black Americans in Flight" that honors aviation pioneers. The word "commemorates" suggests that the mural is a tribute or a memorial to these pioneers, indicating that it recognizes and celebrates their contributions to aviation. Additionally, the sentence states that the mural also "------- the 1992 spaceflight of astronaut Mae Jemison." This further supports the idea that the mural is a commemoration, as it acknowledges Jemison's achievement as the first Black woman to go into space.

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  • 4. 

    The new antifungal agent has such ------- uses, from treating Dutch elm disease to rescuing water-damaged works of art from molds, that it is considered one of the more ------- antibiotics.

    • Disturbing . . explicit

    • Innovative . . precipitous

    • Mysterious . . recognized

    • Varied . . versatile

    • Similar . . discriminating

    Correct Answer
    A. Varied . . versatile
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "varied . . versatile". The sentence states that the new antifungal agent has a wide range of uses, from treating Dutch elm disease to rescuing water-damaged works of art from molds. This demonstrates that the agent can be used in different situations and for different purposes, making it versatile.

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  • 5. 

    Physical exercise often has a ------- effect, releasing emotional tension and refreshing the spirit.

    • Pejorative

    • Debilitating

    • Cathartic

    • Retentive

    • Tenacious

    Correct Answer
    A. Cathartic
    Explanation
    Physical exercise often has a cathartic effect, meaning it helps to release emotional tension and refresh the spirit. This means that engaging in physical activity can provide a sense of emotional release and relief, allowing individuals to let go of negative emotions and feel rejuvenated.

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  • 6. 

    Each passage below is followed by questions based on its content. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in each passage and in any introductory material that may be provided. Black holes are the most efficient engines of destruction known to humanity. Their intense gravity is a one-way ticket to oblivion, and material spiraling into them can heat up to millions of degrees and glow brightly. Yet, they (Line 5) are not all-powerful. Even supermassive black holes are minuscule by cosmic standards. They typically account for less than one percent of their galaxy’s mass. Accordingly, astronomers long assumed that supermassive holes, let alone their smaller cousins, would have little effect beyond (Line 10) their immediate neighborhoods. So it has come as a surprise over the past decade that black hole activity is closely intertwined with star formation occurring farther out in the galaxy. Which best describes the function of the statement in lines 10-13 (“So it . . . galaxy”) ?

    • It summarizes the points made in the first four lines of the passage.

    • It provides support for the argument asserted in the preceding statement.

    • It introduces a new view of information presented earlier in the passage.

    • It challenges recent scientific findings.

    • It offers examples to support a theory.

    Correct Answer
    A. It introduces a new view of information presented earlier in the passage.
    Explanation
    The statement in lines 10-13 introduces a new view of information presented earlier in the passage. The passage initially discusses the destructive nature of black holes and their limited impact on their surroundings. However, the statement in lines 10-13 contradicts this assumption by stating that black hole activity is closely intertwined with star formation occurring farther out in the galaxy. This introduces a new perspective on the influence of black holes and expands the understanding of their effects beyond their immediate neighborhoods.

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  • 7. 

    The following passage is an excerpt from a 1909 novel. Georgia, the main character, is a reporter in an otherwise all-male newsroom. Georgia was to be married. It was the week before Christmas, and on the last day of the year she would become Mrs. Joseph Tank. She had told Joe that if they were to be married at all they might as well get it (Line 5) over with this year, and still there was no need of being married any earlier in the year than was necessary. She assured him that she married him simply because she was tired of having paper bags waved before her eyes everywhere she went and she thought if she were once officially (Line 10) associated with him people would not flaunt his idiosyncrasies at her that way. And then Ernestine, her best friend, approved of getting married, and Ernestine’s ideas were usually good. To all of which Joe responded that she certainly had a splendid head to figure it out that way. (Line 15) Joe said that to his mind reasons for doing things weren’t very important anyhow; it was doing them that counted. Yesterday had been her last day on the paper. She had felt queer about that thing of taking her last assignment, though it was hard to reach just the proper state, for the (Line 20) last story related to pork-packers, and pork-packing is not a setting favorable to sentimental regrets. It was just like the newspaper business not even to allow one a little sentimental harrowing over one’s exodus from it. But the time for gentle melancholy came later on when she was (Line 25) sorting her things at her desk just before leaving, and was wondering what girl would have that old desk—if they cared to risk another girl, and whether the other poor girl would slave through the years she should have been frivolous, only to have some man step in at the end and (Line 30) induce her to surrender the things she had gained through sacrifice and toil. As she wrote a final letter on her typewriter—she did hate letting the old machine go—Georgia did considerable philosophizing about the irony of working for things only (Line 35) to the end of giving them up. She had waded through snowdrifts and been drenched in pouring rains, she had been frozen with the cold and prostrated with the heat, she had been blown about by Chicago wind until it was strange there was any of her left in one piece, she had had front (Line 40) doors—yes, and back doors too—slammed in her face, she had been the butt of the alleged wit of menials and hirelings, she had been patronized by vapid women as the poor girl who must make her living some way, she had been roasted by—but never mind—she had had (Line 45) a beat* or two! And now she was to wind it all up by marrying Joseph Tank, who had made a great deal of money out of the manufacture of paper bags. This from her—who had always believed she would end her days in New York, or perhaps write a realistic novel exposing 50 some mighty evil! * the area regularly covered by a reporter In line 27, “poor” most nearly means

    • Pitiable

    • Indigent

    • Inferior

    • Humble

    • Petty

    Correct Answer
    A. Pitiable
    Explanation
    In line 27, the word "poor" most likely means "pitiable". This can be inferred from the context of the sentence, where the narrator is wondering if the other girl who takes over her desk will have to sacrifice and toil like she did. The use of the word "poor" suggests that the narrator feels sorry for this potential girl, as she believes that she will have to give up the things she gained through hard work and struggle. Therefore, "poor" in this context means pitiable or deserving of sympathy.

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  • 8. 

    The following passage is adapted from a book about television and popular culture.   Ridiculing television, and warning about its inherent evils, is nothing new. It has been that way since the medium was invented, and television hasn’t exactly been lavished with respect as the decades have passed. (Line 5) I suspect, though, that a lot of the fear and loathing directed at television comes out of a time-honored, reflexive overreaction to the dominant medium of the moment. For the past several decades, television has been blamed for corrupting our youth and exciting (Line 10) our adults, distorting reality, and basically being a big, perhaps dangerous, waste of time. Before TV, radio and film were accused of the same things. And long before that—in fact, some 2,500 years earlier— philosophers were arguing that poetry and drama (Line 15) should be excluded from any ideal city on much the same grounds. In Book 10 of the Republic, Plato (428-348 B.C.) attacks epic poet Homer (c. 850 B.C.) and the tragedians on several grounds, all of which have a familiar (Line 20) ring. “Their productions are appearances and not realities,” he gripes. “Drawing, and in fact all imitation . . . [is] quite removed from the truth.” The audience, as well as the art form, troubled Plato, whose remarks are colored by an implied disdain for the popularity of public performances. (Line 25) The “common people,” as Plato so charitably calls them, are drawn to “peevish and diverse” characters—such as Odysseus and other heroes in the Iliad and the Odyssey— who (to Plato, anyway) engage in such questionable displays of emotion as “spinning out a long melancholy (Line 30) lamentation” or “disfiguring themselves in grief.” To Plato, baring such intimate sorrows is not to be condoned. (Clearly, he would have given thumbs down to the central characters of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth.) “If you receive the pleasure-seasoned Muse1 of song and epic,” (Line 35) Plato warns, “pleasure and pain will be kings in your city, instead of law.” Finally, Plato sums up his anti-arts argument with the cold, sweeping pronouncement that “poetry is not to be taken seriously.” One academic who has studied and written extensively (Line 40) about both Plato and television suggests that Plato, rather than being anti-arts, was merely an elitist. Plato wanted to ban poetry readings and live theater, the argument goes, because, being free and accessible and raucous and extremely popular, they were the mass entertainment (Line 45) of that era. “If, instead of ‘tragedy’ and ‘poetry,’ and ‘Homer’ and ‘Aeschylus,’2 you read ‘mass entertainment’ or ‘popular media,’ you’ll recognize Plato’s arguments as the ancestor of all the reasons we have today for being suspicious of television.” (Line 50) To wit: poetry, by which Plato means drama, confuses us between appearance and reality. The action it presents is too extreme and violent. Most important, it’s a corrupting influence, perverting its audience by bombarding it with inferior characters and vulgar subjects—and  (Line 55) constituting, in Plato’s own words, “a harm to the mind of its audience.” If Plato’s Republic had become reality, it would have been a republic with a lot of empty libraries, theaters, and museums—if, indeed, those repositories of the arts would (Line 60) have survived at all. Plato’s personal utopia never came to pass—but throughout the centuries, wherever and whenever a new medium of artistic expression attracted a lot of people, someone has been ready, waiting, and eager to attack its content and fear its impact. 1 The Muses inspired poetry and song in Greek mythology. 2 Aeschylus (525-456 B.C.) was a Greek tragic dramatist. The opening paragraph primarily serves to

    • Criticize the way television distorts the truth

    • Examine the evolution of television as a medium

    • Place contemporary criticism of television in a historical context

    • Directly compare television and drama as art forms

    • Explain why television, radio, and drama appeal to the masses

    Correct Answer
    A. Place contemporary criticism of television in a historical context
    Explanation
    The opening paragraph serves to place contemporary criticism of television in a historical context. It highlights that ridiculing television and warning about its evils is not a new phenomenon and has been happening since the medium was invented. It also mentions that television has been blamed for corrupting youth and distorting reality, similar to how radio, film, poetry, and drama were accused of the same things in the past. This context suggests that the fear and criticism directed at television may be a reflexive overreaction to the dominant medium of the moment, which has been a recurring pattern throughout history.

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  • 9. 

    The following passage is adapted from a book about television and popular culture.   Ridiculing television, and warning about its inherent evils, is nothing new. It has been that way since the medium was invented, and television hasn’t exactly been lavished with respect as the decades have passed. (Line 5) I suspect, though, that a lot of the fear and loathing directed at television comes out of a time-honored, reflexive overreaction to the dominant medium of the moment. For the past several decades, television has been blamed for corrupting our youth and exciting (Line 10) our adults, distorting reality, and basically being a big, perhaps dangerous, waste of time. Before TV, radio and film were accused of the same things. And long before that—in fact, some 2,500 years earlier— philosophers were arguing that poetry and drama (Line 15) should be excluded from any ideal city on much the same grounds. In Book 10 of the Republic, Plato (428-348 B.C.) attacks epic poet Homer (c. 850 B.C.) and the tragedians on several grounds, all of which have a familiar (Line 20) ring. “Their productions are appearances and not realities,” he gripes. “Drawing, and in fact all imitation . . . [is] quite removed from the truth.” The audience, as well as the art form, troubled Plato, whose remarks are colored by an implied disdain for the popularity of public performances. (Line 25) The “common people,” as Plato so charitably calls them, are drawn to “peevish and diverse” characters—such as Odysseus and other heroes in the Iliad and the Odyssey— who (to Plato, anyway) engage in such questionable displays of emotion as “spinning out a long melancholy (Line 30) lamentation” or “disfiguring themselves in grief.” To Plato, baring such intimate sorrows is not to be condoned. (Clearly, he would have given thumbs down to the central characters of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth.) “If you receive the pleasure-seasoned Muse1 of song and epic,” (Line 35) Plato warns, “pleasure and pain will be kings in your city, instead of law.” Finally, Plato sums up his anti-arts argument with the cold, sweeping pronouncement that “poetry is not to be taken seriously.” One academic who has studied and written extensively (Line 40) about both Plato and television suggests that Plato, rather than being anti-arts, was merely an elitist. Plato wanted to ban poetry readings and live theater, the argument goes, because, being free and accessible and raucous and extremely popular, they were the mass entertainment (Line 45) of that era. “If, instead of ‘tragedy’ and ‘poetry,’ and ‘Homer’ and ‘Aeschylus,’2 you read ‘mass entertainment’ or ‘popular media,’ you’ll recognize Plato’s arguments as the ancestor of all the reasons we have today for being suspicious of television.” (Line 50) To wit: poetry, by which Plato means drama, confuses us between appearance and reality. The action it presents is too extreme and violent. Most important, it’s a corrupting influence, perverting its audience by bombarding it with inferior characters and vulgar subjects—and  (Line 55) constituting, in Plato’s own words, “a harm to the mind of its audience.” If Plato’s Republic had become reality, it would have been a republic with a lot of empty libraries, theaters, and museums—if, indeed, those repositories of the arts would (Line 60) have survived at all. Plato’s personal utopia never came to pass—but throughout the centuries, wherever and whenever a new medium of artistic expression attracted a lot of people, someone has been ready, waiting, and eager to attack its content and fear its impact. 1 The Muses inspired poetry and song in Greek mythology. 2 Aeschylus (525-456 B.C.) was a Greek tragic dramatist. In line 26, “drawn” most nearly means

    • Brought

    • Depicted

    • Selected

    • Attracted

    • Shaped

    Correct Answer
    A. Attracted
    Explanation
    In line 26, the word "drawn" means attracted. This can be inferred from the context that Plato is describing how the "common people" are drawn to characters in poetry and drama who engage in questionable displays of emotion. The word "drawn" implies that the audience is being pulled towards these characters and their actions, indicating an attraction or interest in them.

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  • 10. 

    Because rap and hip-hop offer such ------- commentary on contemporary issues, they are often said to be sharp-edged musical genres.

    • Nebulous

    • Trenchant

    • Circumspect

    • Prosaic

    • Benign

    Correct Answer
    A. Trenchant
    Explanation
    Rap and hip-hop are known for their sharp-edged commentary on contemporary issues, making them powerful and impactful musical genres. The word "trenchant" means incisive or cutting, which accurately describes the commentary offered by rap and hip-hop. Therefore, "trenchant" is the correct answer in this context.

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  • 11. 

    The following passage is adapted from a book about television and popular culture.   Ridiculing television, and warning about its inherent evils, is nothing new. It has been that way since the medium was invented, and television hasn’t exactly been lavished with respect as the decades have passed. 5 I suspect, though, that a lot of the fear and loathing directed at television comes out of a time-honored, reflexive overreaction to the dominant medium of the moment. For the past several decades, television has been blamed for corrupting our youth and exciting 10 our adults, distorting reality, and basically being a big, perhaps dangerous, waste of time. Before TV, radio and film were accused of the same things. And long before that—in fact, some 2,500 years earlier— philosophers were arguing that poetry and drama 15 should be excluded from any ideal city on much the same grounds. In Book 10 of the Republic, Plato (428-348 B.C.) attacks epic poet Homer (c. 850 B.C.) and the tragedians on several grounds, all of which have a familiar 20 ring. “Their productions are appearances and not realities,” he gripes. “Drawing, and in fact all imitation . . . [is] quite removed from the truth.” The audience, as well as the art form, troubled Plato, whose remarks are colored by an implied disdain for the popularity of public performances. 25 The “common people,” as Plato so charitably calls them, are drawn to “peevish and diverse” characters—such as Odysseus and other heroes in the Iliad and the Odyssey— who (to Plato, anyway) engage in such questionable displays of emotion as “spinning out a long melancholy 30 lamentation” or “disfiguring themselves in grief.” To Plato, baring such intimate sorrows is not to be condoned. (Clearly, he would have given thumbs down to the central characters of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth.) “If you receive the pleasure-seasoned Muse1 of song and epic,” 35 Plato warns, “pleasure and pain will be kings in your city, instead of law.” Finally, Plato sums up his anti-arts argument with the cold, sweeping pronouncement that “poetry is not to be taken seriously.” One academic who has studied and written extensively 40 about both Plato and television suggests that Plato, rather than being anti-arts, was merely an elitist. Plato wanted to ban poetry readings and live theater, the argument goes, because, being free and accessible and raucous and extremely popular, they were the mass entertainment 45 of that era. “If, instead of ‘tragedy’ and ‘poetry,’ and ‘Homer’ and ‘Aeschylus,’2 you read ‘mass entertainment’ or ‘popular media,’ you’ll recognize Plato’s arguments as the ancestor of all the reasons we have today for being suspicious of television.” 50 To wit: poetry, by which Plato means drama, confuses us between appearance and reality. The action it presents is too extreme and violent. Most important, it’s a corrupting influence, perverting its audience by bombarding it with inferior characters and vulgar subjects—and con55 stituting, in Plato’s own words, “a harm to the mind of its audience.” If Plato’s Republic had become reality, it would have been a republic with a lot of empty libraries, theaters, and museums—if, indeed, those repositories of the arts would 60 have survived at all. Plato’s personal utopia never came to pass—but throughout the centuries, wherever and whenever a new medium of artistic expression attracted a lot of people, someone has been ready, waiting, and eager to attack its content and fear its impact. 1 The Muses inspired poetry and song in Greek mythology. 2 Aeschylus (525-456 B.C.) was a Greek tragic dramatist. Which of the following television shows would be LEAST vulnerable to the criticism expressed in lines 8-11 (“For . . . time”) ?

    • A melodrama in which police detectives attempt to solve crimes

    • A soap opera depicting interpersonal conflicts in a fictional law firm

    • A comedy whose primary characters are supernatural

    • A documentary on the state of education in the nation

    • A talk show that encourages people to confront each other in front of a studio audience

    Correct Answer
    A. A documentary on the state of education in the nation
    Explanation
    A documentary on the state of education in the nation would be least vulnerable to the criticism expressed in lines 8-11 because it does not fall into the category of entertainment that is often criticized for distorting reality or being a waste of time. Documentaries are typically seen as informative and educational, focusing on real-life issues and providing a more serious and factual approach to storytelling. Therefore, it would be less likely to be criticized for corrupting or exciting its audience.

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  • 12. 

    The following passage is an excerpt from a 1909 novel. Georgia, the main character, is a reporter in an otherwise all-male newsroom.   Georgia was to be married. It was the week before Christmas, and on the last day of the year she would become Mrs. Joseph Tank. She had told Joe that if they were to be married at all they might as well get it (Line 5) over with this year, and still there was no need of being married any earlier in the year than was necessary. She assured him that she married him simply because she was tired of having paper bags waved before her eyes everywhere she went and she thought if she were once officially (Line 10) associated with him people would not flaunt his idiosyncrasies at her that way. And then Ernestine, her best friend, approved of getting married, and Ernestine’s ideas were usually good. To all of which Joe responded that she certainly had a splendid head to figure it out that way. (Line 15) Joe said that to his mind reasons for doing things weren’t very important anyhow; it was doing them that counted. Yesterday had been her last day on the paper. She had felt queer about that thing of taking her last assignment, though it was hard to reach just the proper state, for the (Line 20) last story related to pork-packers, and pork-packing is not a setting favorable to sentimental regrets. It was just like the newspaper business not even to allow one a little sentimental harrowing over one’s exodus from it. But the time for gentle melancholy came later on when she was (Line 25) sorting her things at her desk just before leaving, and was wondering what girl would have that old desk—if they cared to risk another girl, and whether the other poor girl would slave through the years she should have been frivolous, only to have some man step in at the end and (Line 30) induce her to surrender the things she had gained through sacrifice and toil. As she wrote a final letter on her typewriter—she did hate letting the old machine go—Georgia did considerable philosophizing about the irony of working for things only (Line 35) to the end of giving them up. She had waded through snowdrifts and been drenched in pouring rains, she had been frozen with the cold and prostrated with the heat, she had been blown about by Chicago wind until it was strange there was any of her left in one piece, she had had front (Line 40) doors—yes, and back doors too—slammed in her face, she had been the butt of the alleged wit of menials and hirelings, she had been patronized by vapid women as the poor girl who must make her living some way, she had been roasted by—but never mind—she had had (Line 45) a beat* or two! And now she was to wind it all up by marrying Joseph Tank, who had made a great deal of money out of the manufacture of paper bags. This from her—who had always believed she would end her days in New York, or perhaps write a realistic novel exposing 50 some mighty evil! * the area regularly covered by a reporter Based on information presented in the passage, which best describes what Georgia was “tired of ” (line 8) ?

    • Being forced to earn a living

    • Being teased about Joseph Tank

    • Being considered a hack writer by some of her colleagues

    • Being betrayed by her supposed friends

    • Being the only woman in the newsroom

    Correct Answer
    A. Being teased about Joseph Tank
    Explanation
    In the passage, Georgia expresses that she is tired of having paper bags waved before her eyes everywhere she goes. She believes that if she is officially married to Joseph Tank, people would not flaunt his idiosyncrasies at her. This suggests that Georgia is tired of being teased or mocked about Joseph Tank, which is why she decides to marry him.

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  • 13. 

    The following passage is adapted from a book about television and popular culture.   Ridiculing television, and warning about its inherent evils, is nothing new. It has been that way since the medium was invented, and television hasn’t exactly been lavished with respect as the decades have passed. (Line 5) I suspect, though, that a lot of the fear and loathing directed at television comes out of a time-honored, reflexive overreaction to the dominant medium of the moment. For the past several decades, television has been blamed for corrupting our youth and exciting (Line 10) our adults, distorting reality, and basically being a big, perhaps dangerous, waste of time. Before TV, radio and film were accused of the same things. And long before that—in fact, some 2,500 years earlier— philosophers were arguing that poetry and drama (Line 15) should be excluded from any ideal city on much the same grounds. In Book 10 of the Republic, Plato (428-348 B.C.) attacks epic poet Homer (c. 850 B.C.) and the tragedians on several grounds, all of which have a familiar (Line 20) ring. “Their productions are appearances and not realities,” he gripes. “Drawing, and in fact all imitation . . . [is] quite removed from the truth.” The audience, as well as the art form, troubled Plato, whose remarks are colored by an implied disdain for the popularity of public performances. (Line 25) The “common people,” as Plato so charitably calls them, are drawn to “peevish and diverse” characters—such as Odysseus and other heroes in the Iliad and the Odyssey— who (to Plato, anyway) engage in such questionable displays of emotion as “spinning out a long melancholy (Line 30) lamentation” or “disfiguring themselves in grief.” To Plato, baring such intimate sorrows is not to be condoned. (Clearly, he would have given thumbs down to the central characters of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth.) “If you receive the pleasure-seasoned Muse1 of song and epic,” (Line 35) Plato warns, “pleasure and pain will be kings in your city, instead of law.” Finally, Plato sums up his anti-arts argument with the cold, sweeping pronouncement that “poetry is not to be taken seriously.” One academic who has studied and written extensively (Line 40) about both Plato and television suggests that Plato, rather than being anti-arts, was merely an elitist. Plato wanted to ban poetry readings and live theater, the argument goes, because, being free and accessible and raucous and extremely popular, they were the mass entertainment (Line 45) of that era. “If, instead of ‘tragedy’ and ‘poetry,’ and ‘Homer’ and ‘Aeschylus,’2 you read ‘mass entertainment’ or ‘popular media,’ you’ll recognize Plato’s arguments as the ancestor of all the reasons we have today for being suspicious of television.” (Line 50) To wit: poetry, by which Plato means drama, confuses us between appearance and reality. The action it presents is too extreme and violent. Most important, it’s a corrupting influence, perverting its audience by bombarding it with inferior characters and vulgar subjects—and  (Line 55) constituting, in Plato’s own words, “a harm to the mind of its audience.” If Plato’s Republic had become reality, it would have been a republic with a lot of empty libraries, theaters, and museums—if, indeed, those repositories of the arts would (Line 60) have survived at all. Plato’s personal utopia never came to pass—but throughout the centuries, wherever and whenever a new medium of artistic expression attracted a lot of people, someone has been ready, waiting, and eager to attack its content and fear its impact. 1 The Muses inspired poetry and song in Greek mythology. 2 Aeschylus (525-456 B.C.) was a Greek tragic dramatist.   The comment about “a new medium of artistic expression” (line 62) primarily suggests that

    • The author holds a fatalistic view of the future for artistic expression

    • Certain societies in the past have been slow to accept new art forms

    • People often disguise their true feelings when it comes to art

    • The popular response to a new art form will often overcome opposition to it

    • A popular new art form will always receive some form of negative response

    Correct Answer
    A. A popular new art form will always receive some form of negative response
    Explanation
    The comment about "a new medium of artistic expression" suggests that a popular new art form will always receive some form of negative response. This is supported by the statement that whenever a new medium of artistic expression attracts a lot of people, someone is ready to attack its content and fear its impact. This implies that there will always be opposition or criticism towards new art forms, regardless of the society or time period.

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  • 14. 

    The following passage is an excerpt from a 1909 novel. Georgia, the main character, is a reporter in an otherwise all-male newsroom.   Georgia was to be married. It was the week before Christmas, and on the last day of the year she would become Mrs. Joseph Tank. She had told Joe that if they were to be married at all they might as well get it (Line 5) over with this year, and still there was no need of being married any earlier in the year than was necessary. She assured him that she married him simply because she was tired of having paper bags waved before her eyes everywhere she went and she thought if she were once officially (Line 10) associated with him people would not flaunt his idiosyncrasies at her that way. And then Ernestine, her best friend, approved of getting married, and Ernestine’s ideas were usually good. To all of which Joe responded that she certainly had a splendid head to figure it out that way. (Line 15) Joe said that to his mind reasons for doing things weren’t very important anyhow; it was doing them that counted. Yesterday had been her last day on the paper. She had felt queer about that thing of taking her last assignment, though it was hard to reach just the proper state, for the (Line 20) last story related to pork-packers, and pork-packing is not a setting favorable to sentimental regrets. It was just like the newspaper business not even to allow one a little sentimental harrowing over one’s exodus from it. But the time for gentle melancholy came later on when she was (Line 25) sorting her things at her desk just before leaving, and was wondering what girl would have that old desk—if they cared to risk another girl, and whether the other poor girl would slave through the years she should have been frivolous, only to have some man step in at the end and (Line 30) induce her to surrender the things she had gained through sacrifice and toil. As she wrote a final letter on her typewriter—she did hate letting the old machine go—Georgia did considerable philosophizing about the irony of working for things only (Line 35) to the end of giving them up. She had waded through snowdrifts and been drenched in pouring rains, she had been frozen with the cold and prostrated with the heat, she had been blown about by Chicago wind until it was strange there was any of her left in one piece, she had had front (Line 40) doors—yes, and back doors too—slammed in her face, she had been the butt of the alleged wit of menials and hirelings, she had been patronized by vapid women as the poor girl who must make her living some way, she had been roasted by—but never mind—she had had (Line 45) a beat* or two! And now she was to wind it all up by marrying Joseph Tank, who had made a great deal of money out of the manufacture of paper bags. This from her—who had always believed she would end her days in New York, or perhaps write a realistic novel exposing 50 some mighty evil! * the area regularly covered by a reporter The description in lines 35-45 (“She . . . two!”) primarily serves to

    • Suggest that Georgia envied those women who did not have to work

    • Imply that Georgia would be unlikely ever to consider working as a reporter again

    • Indicate the role that weather plays in the everyday life of a reporter

    • Exaggerate Georgia’s reluctance to relinquish her job

    • Show the adversities Georgia had to overcome as a reporter

    Correct Answer
    A. Show the adversities Georgia had to overcome as a reporter
    Explanation
    The passage in lines 35-45 describes the various hardships and challenges that Georgia had to face as a reporter. It mentions how she had to endure extreme weather conditions, face rejection and ridicule from others, and be patronized by vapid women. This serves to highlight the adversities that Georgia had to overcome in her profession as a reporter, emphasizing the difficulties she faced and the resilience she demonstrated.

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  • 15. 

    The following passage is an excerpt from a 1909 novel. Georgia, the main character, is a reporter in an otherwise all-male newsroom.   Georgia was to be married. It was the week before Christmas, and on the last day of the year she would become Mrs. Joseph Tank. She had told Joe that if they were to be married at all they might as well get it (Line 5) over with this year, and still there was no need of being married any earlier in the year than was necessary. She assured him that she married him simply because she was tired of having paper bags waved before her eyes everywhere she went and she thought if she were once officially (Line 10) associated with him people would not flaunt his idiosyncrasies at her that way. And then Ernestine, her best friend, approved of getting married, and Ernestine’s ideas were usually good. To all of which Joe responded that she certainly had a splendid head to figure it out that way. (Line 15) Joe said that to his mind reasons for doing things weren’t very important anyhow; it was doing them that counted. Yesterday had been her last day on the paper. She had felt queer about that thing of taking her last assignment, though it was hard to reach just the proper state, for the (Line 20) last story related to pork-packers, and pork-packing is not a setting favorable to sentimental regrets. It was just like the newspaper business not even to allow one a little sentimental harrowing over one’s exodus from it. But the time for gentle melancholy came later on when she was (Line 25) sorting her things at her desk just before leaving, and was wondering what girl would have that old desk—if they cared to risk another girl, and whether the other poor girl would slave through the years she should have been frivolous, only to have some man step in at the end and (Line 30) induce her to surrender the things she had gained through sacrifice and toil. As she wrote a final letter on her typewriter—she did hate letting the old machine go—Georgia did considerable philosophizing about the irony of working for things only (Line 35) to the end of giving them up. She had waded through snowdrifts and been drenched in pouring rains, she had been frozen with the cold and prostrated with the heat, she had been blown about by Chicago wind until it was strange there was any of her left in one piece, she had had front (Line 40) doors—yes, and back doors too—slammed in her face, she had been the butt of the alleged wit of menials and hirelings, she had been patronized by vapid women as the poor girl who must make her living some way, she had been roasted by—but never mind—she had had (Line 45) a beat* or two! And now she was to wind it all up by marrying Joseph Tank, who had made a great deal of money out of the manufacture of paper bags. This from her—who had always believed she would end her days in New York, or perhaps write a realistic novel exposing 50 some mighty evil! * the area regularly covered by a reporter Which most resembles the “irony” mentioned in line 34 ?

    • A worker moving to a distant state to take a job, only to be fired without warning

    • An executive making an important decision, only to regret it later

    • An athlete earning a starting position on a good team, only to quit in midseason

    • A student studying for a major exam, only to learn that it has been postponed

    • A person purchasing an expensive umbrella, only to lose it on the first rainy day

    Correct Answer
    A. An athlete earning a starting position on a good team, only to quit in midseason
    Explanation
    The passage mentions the irony of working hard for something only to give it up in the end. This can be compared to an athlete earning a starting position on a good team, which is a desirable achievement, but then choosing to quit in the middle of the season, which contradicts the initial goal and effort put into earning the position.

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  • 16. 

    The following passage is adapted from a book about television and popular culture.   Ridiculing television, and warning about its inherent evils, is nothing new. It has been that way since the medium was invented, and television hasn’t exactly been lavished with respect as the decades have passed. (Line 5) I suspect, though, that a lot of the fear and loathing directed at television comes out of a time-honored, reflexive overreaction to the dominant medium of the moment. For the past several decades, television has been blamed for corrupting our youth and exciting (Line 10) our adults, distorting reality, and basically being a big, perhaps dangerous, waste of time. Before TV, radio and film were accused of the same things. And long before that—in fact, some 2,500 years earlier— philosophers were arguing that poetry and drama (Line 15) should be excluded from any ideal city on much the same grounds. In Book 10 of the Republic, Plato (428-348 B.C.) attacks epic poet Homer (c. 850 B.C.) and the tragedians on several grounds, all of which have a familiar (Line 20) ring. “Their productions are appearances and not realities,” he gripes. “Drawing, and in fact all imitation . . . [is] quite removed from the truth.” The audience, as well as the art form, troubled Plato, whose remarks are colored by an implied disdain for the popularity of public performances. (Line 25) The “common people,” as Plato so charitably calls them, are drawn to “peevish and diverse” characters—such as Odysseus and other heroes in the Iliad and the Odyssey— who (to Plato, anyway) engage in such questionable displays of emotion as “spinning out a long melancholy (Line 30) lamentation” or “disfiguring themselves in grief.” To Plato, baring such intimate sorrows is not to be condoned. (Clearly, he would have given thumbs down to the central characters of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth.) “If you receive the pleasure-seasoned Muse1 of song and epic,” (Line 35) Plato warns, “pleasure and pain will be kings in your city, instead of law.” Finally, Plato sums up his anti-arts argument with the cold, sweeping pronouncement that “poetry is not to be taken seriously.” One academic who has studied and written extensively (Line 40) about both Plato and television suggests that Plato, rather than being anti-arts, was merely an elitist. Plato wanted to ban poetry readings and live theater, the argument goes, because, being free and accessible and raucous and extremely popular, they were the mass entertainment (Line 45) of that era. “If, instead of ‘tragedy’ and ‘poetry,’ and ‘Homer’ and ‘Aeschylus,’2 you read ‘mass entertainment’ or ‘popular media,’ you’ll recognize Plato’s arguments as the ancestor of all the reasons we have today for being suspicious of television.” (Line 50) To wit: poetry, by which Plato means drama, confuses us between appearance and reality. The action it presents is too extreme and violent. Most important, it’s a corrupting influence, perverting its audience by bombarding it with inferior characters and vulgar subjects—and  (Line 55) constituting, in Plato’s own words, “a harm to the mind of its audience.” If Plato’s Republic had become reality, it would have been a republic with a lot of empty libraries, theaters, and museums—if, indeed, those repositories of the arts would (Line 60) have survived at all. Plato’s personal utopia never came to pass—but throughout the centuries, wherever and whenever a new medium of artistic expression attracted a lot of people, someone has been ready, waiting, and eager to attack its content and fear its impact. 1 The Muses inspired poetry and song in Greek mythology. 2 Aeschylus (525-456 B.C.) was a Greek tragic dramatist.   The author of the passage would probably agree with which of the following statements about the “utopia” referred to in line 60 ?

    • It would have encouraged new artistic ventures.

    • It would have stifled human creativity.

    • It is an ideal that we should continue to work towards.

    • It may come to pass because of the popularity of television.

    • It was a notion rejected by Greek philosophers.

    Correct Answer
    A. It would have stifled human creativity.
    Explanation
    The passage discusses Plato's views on poetry and drama and suggests that he wanted to ban these forms of art because they were free, accessible, and popular. The passage also mentions that Plato believed these art forms to be corrupting and a harm to the mind of its audience. Based on this information, it can be inferred that the author would agree with the statement that the "utopia" referred to in line 60 would have stifled human creativity. This is because the author presents Plato's views as being against popular forms of artistic expression, suggesting that he would not have supported new artistic ventures.

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  • 17. 

    The following passage is an excerpt from a 1909 novel. Georgia, the main character, is a reporter in an otherwise all-male newsroom.   Georgia was to be married. It was the week before Christmas, and on the last day of the year she would become Mrs. Joseph Tank. She had told Joe that if they were to be married at all they might as well get it (Line 5) over with this year, and still there was no need of being married any earlier in the year than was necessary. She assured him that she married him simply because she was tired of having paper bags waved before her eyes everywhere she went and she thought if she were once officially (Line 10) associated with him people would not flaunt his idiosyncrasies at her that way. And then Ernestine, her best friend, approved of getting married, and Ernestine’s ideas were usually good. To all of which Joe responded that she certainly had a splendid head to figure it out that way. (Line 15) Joe said that to his mind reasons for doing things weren’t very important anyhow; it was doing them that counted. Yesterday had been her last day on the paper. She had felt queer about that thing of taking her last assignment, though it was hard to reach just the proper state, for the (Line 20) last story related to pork-packers, and pork-packing is not a setting favorable to sentimental regrets. It was just like the newspaper business not even to allow one a little sentimental harrowing over one’s exodus from it. But the time for gentle melancholy came later on when she was (Line 25) sorting her things at her desk just before leaving, and was wondering what girl would have that old desk—if they cared to risk another girl, and whether the other poor girl would slave through the years she should have been frivolous, only to have some man step in at the end and (Line 30) induce her to surrender the things she had gained through sacrifice and toil. As she wrote a final letter on her typewriter—she did hate letting the old machine go—Georgia did considerable philosophizing about the irony of working for things only (Line 35) to the end of giving them up. She had waded through snowdrifts and been drenched in pouring rains, she had been frozen with the cold and prostrated with the heat, she had been blown about by Chicago wind until it was strange there was any of her left in one piece, she had had front (Line 40) doors—yes, and back doors too—slammed in her face, she had been the butt of the alleged wit of menials and hirelings, she had been patronized by vapid women as the poor girl who must make her living some way, she had been roasted by—but never mind—she had had (Line 45) a beat* or two! And now she was to wind it all up by marrying Joseph Tank, who had made a great deal of money out of the manufacture of paper bags. This from her—who had always believed she would end her days in New York, or perhaps write a realistic novel exposing 50 some mighty evil! * the area regularly covered by a reporter In context, the phrase “This from her” (lines 47-48) helps to suggest that a

    • Specific feeling is quite heartfelt

    • Stated viewpoint is highly personal

    • Certain decision is out of character

    • Particular behavior is extremely upsetting

    • Given attitude is unsurprising

    Correct Answer
    A. Certain decision is out of character
    Explanation
    The phrase "This from her" suggests that the decision of marrying Joseph Tank, who made money out of paper bag manufacturing, is unexpected or out of character for the main character. It implies that the main character had different plans or aspirations for her life, such as ending up in New York or writing a realistic novel exposing some evil. Therefore, the phrase indicates that the decision to marry Joseph Tank is contrary to what the main character had envisioned for herself.

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  • 18. 

    Each passage below is followed by questions based on its content. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in each passage and in any introductory material that may be provided. “Mechanical pencils rule,” my fifteen-year-old grandniece, Genevieve, declared when I invited her to be her generation’s voice on school supplies. “Nobody sharpens anymore.” Then, continuing with a fashion (Line 5) maven’s hyperbole and arbitrary imperatives, she gave a passionate disquisition on types of clickers, new grips, smaller lead sizes, and other niceties of pencil selection. As she consigned the yellow-painted wooden pencil to the wastebasket of history, I felt a rush of nostalgia for (Line 10) the perfumed sharpener shavings of my youth. In lines 4-5, the author refers to a “fashion maven’s” tone primarily in order to

    • Imply that Genevieve has only a superficial appreciation of mechanical pencils

    • Suggest that Genevieve is excessively concerned about her clothing

    • Illustrate some of the exaggerated claims made by mechanical pencil manufacturers

    • Emphasize the unpredictability of trends in consumer tastes

    • Indicate that Genevieve expresses her opinions with authority and flair

    Correct Answer
    A. Indicate that Genevieve expresses her opinions with authority and flair
    Explanation
    The author refers to a "fashion maven's" tone primarily to indicate that Genevieve expresses her opinions with authority and flair. This suggests that she speaks confidently and passionately about her preferences for mechanical pencils, using exaggerated language and making bold claims. The use of the term "maven" implies that Genevieve is knowledgeable and influential in this area, further emphasizing her confident and expressive nature.

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  • 19. 

    Each passage below is followed by questions based on its content. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in each passage and in any introductory material that may be provided. Black holes are the most efficient engines of destruction known to humanity. Their intense gravity is a one-way ticket to oblivion, and material spiraling into them can heat up to millions of degrees and glow brightly. Yet, they (Line 5) are not all-powerful. Even supermassive black holes are minuscule by cosmic standards. They typically account for less than one percent of their galaxy’s mass. Accordingly, astronomers long assumed that supermassive holes, let alone their smaller cousins, would have little effect beyond (Line 10) their immediate neighborhoods. So it has come as a surprise over the past decade that black hole activity is closely intertwined with star formation occurring farther out in the galaxy. Which of the following most resembles the relationship between “black hole activity” and “star formation” (lines 11-12) as described in the passage?

    • A volcanic eruption on one continent results in higher rainfall totals on another continent.

    • Industrial emissions in one region lead to an increase in airborne pollutants in adjacent regions.

    • A drought in a wilderness area causes a significant loss of vegetation in that area.

    • Decreased oil production in one country results in higher gas prices in oil-dependent countries.

    • Overfishing in a gulf leads to an increase in the population of smaller aquatic organisms.

    Correct Answer
    A. A volcanic eruption on one continent results in higher rainfall totals on another continent.
    Explanation
    The relationship between "black hole activity" and "star formation" as described in the passage is that they are closely intertwined. This means that black hole activity has an impact on star formation occurring farther out in the galaxy, similar to how a volcanic eruption on one continent can result in higher rainfall totals on another continent.

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  • 20. 

    The following passage is an excerpt from a 1909 novel. Georgia, the main character, is a reporter in an otherwise all-male newsroom.   Georgia was to be married. It was the week before Christmas, and on the last day of the year she would become Mrs. Joseph Tank. She had told Joe that if they were to be married at all they might as well get it (Line 5) over with this year, and still there was no need of being married any earlier in the year than was necessary. She assured him that she married him simply because she was tired of having paper bags waved before her eyes everywhere she went and she thought if she were once officially (Line 10) associated with him people would not flaunt his idiosyncrasies at her that way. And then Ernestine, her best friend, approved of getting married, and Ernestine’s ideas were usually good. To all of which Joe responded that she certainly had a splendid head to figure it out that way. (Line 15) Joe said that to his mind reasons for doing things weren’t very important anyhow; it was doing them that counted. Yesterday had been her last day on the paper. She had felt queer about that thing of taking her last assignment, though it was hard to reach just the proper state, for the (Line 20) last story related to pork-packers, and pork-packing is not a setting favorable to sentimental regrets. It was just like the newspaper business not even to allow one a little sentimental harrowing over one’s exodus from it. But the time for gentle melancholy came later on when she was (Line 25) sorting her things at her desk just before leaving, and was wondering what girl would have that old desk—if they cared to risk another girl, and whether the other poor girl would slave through the years she should have been frivolous, only to have some man step in at the end and (Line 30) induce her to surrender the things she had gained through sacrifice and toil. As she wrote a final letter on her typewriter—she did hate letting the old machine go—Georgia did considerable philosophizing about the irony of working for things only (Line 35) to the end of giving them up. She had waded through snowdrifts and been drenched in pouring rains, she had been frozen with the cold and prostrated with the heat, she had been blown about by Chicago wind until it was strange there was any of her left in one piece, she had had front (Line 40) doors—yes, and back doors too—slammed in her face, she had been the butt of the alleged wit of menials and hirelings, she had been patronized by vapid women as the poor girl who must make her living some way, she had been roasted by—but never mind—she had had (Line 45) a beat* or two! And now she was to wind it all up by marrying Joseph Tank, who had made a great deal of money out of the manufacture of paper bags. This from her—who had always believed she would end her days in New York, or perhaps write a realistic novel exposing 50 some mighty evil! * the area regularly covered by a reporter The second paragraph suggests that Georgia believes the “proper state” (line 19) would be one of

    • Excitement

    • Wistfulness

    • Amusement

    • Annoyance

    • Relief

    Correct Answer
    A. Wistfulness
    Explanation
    In the second paragraph, Georgia reflects on her last day at the newspaper and expresses her feelings about leaving. She mentions feeling "queer" about taking her last assignment and wonders about the sentimental value of her desk. She also contemplates the future of the girl who will take her place and the sacrifices she has made in her career. These reflections indicate a sense of wistfulness, a feeling of nostalgia or longing for something that is now coming to an end.

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  • 21. 

    The following passage is adapted from a book about television and popular culture.   Ridiculing television, and warning about its inherent evils, is nothing new. It has been that way since the medium was invented, and television hasn’t exactly been lavished with respect as the decades have passed. (Line 5) I suspect, though, that a lot of the fear and loathing directed at television comes out of a time-honored, reflexive overreaction to the dominant medium of the moment. For the past several decades, television has been blamed for corrupting our youth and exciting (Line 10) our adults, distorting reality, and basically being a big, perhaps dangerous, waste of time. Before TV, radio and film were accused of the same things. And long before that—in fact, some 2,500 years earlier— philosophers were arguing that poetry and drama (Line 15) should be excluded from any ideal city on much the same grounds. In Book 10 of the Republic, Plato (428-348 B.C.) attacks epic poet Homer (c. 850 B.C.) and the tragedians on several grounds, all of which have a familiar (Line 20) ring. “Their productions are appearances and not realities,” he gripes. “Drawing, and in fact all imitation . . . [is] quite removed from the truth.” The audience, as well as the art form, troubled Plato, whose remarks are colored by an implied disdain for the popularity of public performances. (Line 25) The “common people,” as Plato so charitably calls them, are drawn to “peevish and diverse” characters—such as Odysseus and other heroes in the Iliad and the Odyssey— who (to Plato, anyway) engage in such questionable displays of emotion as “spinning out a long melancholy (Line 30) lamentation” or “disfiguring themselves in grief.” To Plato, baring such intimate sorrows is not to be condoned. (Clearly, he would have given thumbs down to the central characters of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth.) “If you receive the pleasure-seasoned Muse1 of song and epic,” (Line 35) Plato warns, “pleasure and pain will be kings in your city, instead of law.” Finally, Plato sums up his anti-arts argument with the cold, sweeping pronouncement that “poetry is not to be taken seriously.” One academic who has studied and written extensively (Line 40) about both Plato and television suggests that Plato, rather than being anti-arts, was merely an elitist. Plato wanted to ban poetry readings and live theater, the argument goes, because, being free and accessible and raucous and extremely popular, they were the mass entertainment (Line 45) of that era. “If, instead of ‘tragedy’ and ‘poetry,’ and ‘Homer’ and ‘Aeschylus,’2 you read ‘mass entertainment’ or ‘popular media,’ you’ll recognize Plato’s arguments as the ancestor of all the reasons we have today for being suspicious of television.” (Line 50) To wit: poetry, by which Plato means drama, confuses us between appearance and reality. The action it presents is too extreme and violent. Most important, it’s a corrupting influence, perverting its audience by bombarding it with inferior characters and vulgar subjects—and  (Line 55) constituting, in Plato’s own words, “a harm to the mind of its audience.” If Plato’s Republic had become reality, it would have been a republic with a lot of empty libraries, theaters, and museums—if, indeed, those repositories of the arts would (Line 60) have survived at all. Plato’s personal utopia never came to pass—but throughout the centuries, wherever and whenever a new medium of artistic expression attracted a lot of people, someone has been ready, waiting, and eager to attack its content and fear its impact. 1 The Muses inspired poetry and song in Greek mythology. 2 Aeschylus (525-456 B.C.) was a Greek tragic dramatist. The primary purpose of the statements in lines 39-45 (“One . . . that era”) is to

    • Provide an interpretation of a viewpoint described in the previous paragraph

    • Show how Plato’s view of politics should be understood in today’s terms

    • Show how Plato’s view of politics should be understood in today’s terms

    • Account for the appeal of Plato’s writings

    • Signal a digression in the passage

    Correct Answer
    A. Provide an interpretation of a viewpoint described in the previous paragraph
    Explanation
    The statements in lines 39-45 provide an interpretation of the viewpoint described in the previous paragraph. They suggest that Plato's opposition to poetry readings and live theater was not necessarily due to his disdain for the arts, but rather because they were popular forms of mass entertainment. By substituting "tragedy" and "poetry" with "mass entertainment" and "popular media," the statements demonstrate that Plato's arguments against these forms of entertainment are similar to the reasons people today are suspicious of television. This interpretation helps to explain the historical context and relevance of Plato's viewpoint.

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  • 22. 

    The following passage is adapted from a book about television and popular culture.   Ridiculing television, and warning about its inherent evils, is nothing new. It has been that way since the medium was invented, and television hasn’t exactly been lavished with respect as the decades have passed. (Line 5) I suspect, though, that a lot of the fear and loathing directed at television comes out of a time-honored, reflexive overreaction to the dominant medium of the moment. For the past several decades, television has been blamed for corrupting our youth and exciting (Line 10) our adults, distorting reality, and basically being a big, perhaps dangerous, waste of time. Before TV, radio and film were accused of the same things. And long before that—in fact, some 2,500 years earlier— philosophers were arguing that poetry and drama (Line 15) should be excluded from any ideal city on much the same grounds. In Book 10 of the Republic, Plato (428-348 B.C.) attacks epic poet Homer (c. 850 B.C.) and the tragedians on several grounds, all of which have a familiar (Line 20) ring. “Their productions are appearances and not realities,” he gripes. “Drawing, and in fact all imitation . . . [is] quite removed from the truth.” The audience, as well as the art form, troubled Plato, whose remarks are colored by an implied disdain for the popularity of public performances. (Line 25) The “common people,” as Plato so charitably calls them, are drawn to “peevish and diverse” characters—such as Odysseus and other heroes in the Iliad and the Odyssey— who (to Plato, anyway) engage in such questionable displays of emotion as “spinning out a long melancholy (Line 30) lamentation” or “disfiguring themselves in grief.” To Plato, baring such intimate sorrows is not to be condoned. (Clearly, he would have given thumbs down to the central characters of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth.) “If you receive the pleasure-seasoned Muse1 of song and epic,” (Line 35) Plato warns, “pleasure and pain will be kings in your city, instead of law.” Finally, Plato sums up his anti-arts argument with the cold, sweeping pronouncement that “poetry is not to be taken seriously.” One academic who has studied and written extensively (Line 40) about both Plato and television suggests that Plato, rather than being anti-arts, was merely an elitist. Plato wanted to ban poetry readings and live theater, the argument goes, because, being free and accessible and raucous and extremely popular, they were the mass entertainment (Line 45) of that era. “If, instead of ‘tragedy’ and ‘poetry,’ and ‘Homer’ and ‘Aeschylus,’2 you read ‘mass entertainment’ or ‘popular media,’ you’ll recognize Plato’s arguments as the ancestor of all the reasons we have today for being suspicious of television.” (Line 50) To wit: poetry, by which Plato means drama, confuses us between appearance and reality. The action it presents is too extreme and violent. Most important, it’s a corrupting influence, perverting its audience by bombarding it with inferior characters and vulgar subjects—and  (Line 55) constituting, in Plato’s own words, “a harm to the mind of its audience.” If Plato’s Republic had become reality, it would have been a republic with a lot of empty libraries, theaters, and museums—if, indeed, those repositories of the arts would (Line 60) have survived at all. Plato’s personal utopia never came to pass—but throughout the centuries, wherever and whenever a new medium of artistic expression attracted a lot of people, someone has been ready, waiting, and eager to attack its content and fear its impact. 1 The Muses inspired poetry and song in Greek mythology. 2 Aeschylus (525-456 B.C.) was a Greek tragic dramatist. Which of the following best characterizes Plato’s view of the heroes mentioned in line 27 ?

    • Admiration

    • Curiosity

    • Distrust

    • Disappointment

    • Contempt

    Correct Answer
    A. Contempt
    Explanation
    Plato's view of the heroes mentioned in line 27 can be characterized as contempt. Plato criticizes the heroes, such as Odysseus, for engaging in questionable displays of emotion, such as spinning out a long melancholy lamentation or disfiguring themselves in grief. He disapproves of these intimate sorrows being bared and would not condone such behavior. This contemptuous view is evident in Plato's disdain for the popularity of public performances and his belief that poetry and drama should be excluded from any ideal city.

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  • 23. 

    The following passage is adapted from a book about television and popular culture.   Ridiculing television, and warning about its inherent evils, is nothing new. It has been that way since the medium was invented, and television hasn’t exactly been lavished with respect as the decades have passed. (Line 5) I suspect, though, that a lot of the fear and loathing directed at television comes out of a time-honored, reflexive overreaction to the dominant medium of the moment. For the past several decades, television has been blamed for corrupting our youth and exciting (Line 10) our adults, distorting reality, and basically being a big, perhaps dangerous, waste of time. Before TV, radio and film were accused of the same things. And long before that—in fact, some 2,500 years earlier— philosophers were arguing that poetry and drama (Line 15) should be excluded from any ideal city on much the same grounds. In Book 10 of the Republic, Plato (428-348 B.C.) attacks epic poet Homer (c. 850 B.C.) and the tragedians on several grounds, all of which have a familiar (Line 20) ring. “Their productions are appearances and not realities,” he gripes. “Drawing, and in fact all imitation . . . [is] quite removed from the truth.” The audience, as well as the art form, troubled Plato, whose remarks are colored by an implied disdain for the popularity of public performances. (Line 25) The “common people,” as Plato so charitably calls them, are drawn to “peevish and diverse” characters—such as Odysseus and other heroes in the Iliad and the Odyssey— who (to Plato, anyway) engage in such questionable displays of emotion as “spinning out a long melancholy (Line 30) lamentation” or “disfiguring themselves in grief.” To Plato, baring such intimate sorrows is not to be condoned. (Clearly, he would have given thumbs down to the central characters of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth.) “If you receive the pleasure-seasoned Muse1 of song and epic,” (Line 35) Plato warns, “pleasure and pain will be kings in your city, instead of law.” Finally, Plato sums up his anti-arts argument with the cold, sweeping pronouncement that “poetry is not to be taken seriously.” One academic who has studied and written extensively (Line 40) about both Plato and television suggests that Plato, rather than being anti-arts, was merely an elitist. Plato wanted to ban poetry readings and live theater, the argument goes, because, being free and accessible and raucous and extremely popular, they were the mass entertainment (Line 45) of that era. “If, instead of ‘tragedy’ and ‘poetry,’ and ‘Homer’ and ‘Aeschylus,’2 you read ‘mass entertainment’ or ‘popular media,’ you’ll recognize Plato’s arguments as the ancestor of all the reasons we have today for being suspicious of television.” (Line 50) To wit: poetry, by which Plato means drama, confuses us between appearance and reality. The action it presents is too extreme and violent. Most important, it’s a corrupting influence, perverting its audience by bombarding it with inferior characters and vulgar subjects—and  (Line 55) constituting, in Plato’s own words, “a harm to the mind of its audience.” If Plato’s Republic had become reality, it would have been a republic with a lot of empty libraries, theaters, and museums—if, indeed, those repositories of the arts would (Line 60) have survived at all. Plato’s personal utopia never came to pass—but throughout the centuries, wherever and whenever a new medium of artistic expression attracted a lot of people, someone has been ready, waiting, and eager to attack its content and fear its impact. 1 The Muses inspired poetry and song in Greek mythology. 2 Aeschylus (525-456 B.C.) was a Greek tragic dramatist. The “academic” (line 39) indicates that Plato was primarily characterized by his

    • Insight

    • Artistry

    • Cynicism

    • Irreverence

    • Snobbishness

    Correct Answer
    A. Snobbishness
    Explanation
    The passage suggests that Plato's opposition to poetry and drama was not due to a genuine dislike of the arts, but rather because he viewed them as popular and accessible forms of entertainment. The use of the term "elitist" in line 40 supports this interpretation. Plato's desire to ban these forms of entertainment can be seen as a form of snobbishness, as he believed that they were not suitable for his ideal city and preferred a more intellectual and controlled society.

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  • 24. 

    The following passage is adapted from a book about television and popular culture.   Ridiculing television, and warning about its inherent evils, is nothing new. It has been that way since the medium was invented, and television hasn’t exactly been lavished with respect as the decades have passed. (Line 5) I suspect, though, that a lot of the fear and loathing directed at television comes out of a time-honored, reflexive overreaction to the dominant medium of the moment. For the past several decades, television has been blamed for corrupting our youth and exciting (Line 10) our adults, distorting reality, and basically being a big, perhaps dangerous, waste of time. Before TV, radio and film were accused of the same things. And long before that—in fact, some 2,500 years earlier— philosophers were arguing that poetry and drama (Line 15) should be excluded from any ideal city on much the same grounds. In Book 10 of the Republic, Plato (428-348 B.C.) attacks epic poet Homer (c. 850 B.C.) and the tragedians on several grounds, all of which have a familiar (Line 20) ring. “Their productions are appearances and not realities,” he gripes. “Drawing, and in fact all imitation . . . [is] quite removed from the truth.” The audience, as well as the art form, troubled Plato, whose remarks are colored by an implied disdain for the popularity of public performances. (Line 25) The “common people,” as Plato so charitably calls them, are drawn to “peevish and diverse” characters—such as Odysseus and other heroes in the Iliad and the Odyssey— who (to Plato, anyway) engage in such questionable displays of emotion as “spinning out a long melancholy (Line 30) lamentation” or “disfiguring themselves in grief.” To Plato, baring such intimate sorrows is not to be condoned. (Clearly, he would have given thumbs down to the central characters of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth.) “If you receive the pleasure-seasoned Muse1 of song and epic,” (Line 35) Plato warns, “pleasure and pain will be kings in your city, instead of law.” Finally, Plato sums up his anti-arts argument with the cold, sweeping pronouncement that “poetry is not to be taken seriously.” One academic who has studied and written extensively (Line 40) about both Plato and television suggests that Plato, rather than being anti-arts, was merely an elitist. Plato wanted to ban poetry readings and live theater, the argument goes, because, being free and accessible and raucous and extremely popular, they were the mass entertainment (Line 45) of that era. “If, instead of ‘tragedy’ and ‘poetry,’ and ‘Homer’ and ‘Aeschylus,’2 you read ‘mass entertainment’ or ‘popular media,’ you’ll recognize Plato’s arguments as the ancestor of all the reasons we have today for being suspicious of television.” (Line 50) To wit: poetry, by which Plato means drama, confuses us between appearance and reality. The action it presents is too extreme and violent. Most important, it’s a corrupting influence, perverting its audience by bombarding it with inferior characters and vulgar subjects—and  (Line 55) constituting, in Plato’s own words, “a harm to the mind of its audience.” If Plato’s Republic had become reality, it would have been a republic with a lot of empty libraries, theaters, and museums—if, indeed, those repositories of the arts would (Line 60) have survived at all. Plato’s personal utopia never came to pass—but throughout the centuries, wherever and whenever a new medium of artistic expression attracted a lot of people, someone has been ready, waiting, and eager to attack its content and fear its impact. 1 The Muses inspired poetry and song in Greek mythology. 2 Aeschylus (525-456 B.C.) was a Greek tragic dramatist. The fourth paragraph (lines 50-56) indicates that Plato’s principal objection to “poetry” (line 50) was its

    • Confusing language

    • Widespread popularity

    • Depiction of turbulent events

    • Influence on people’s morals

    • Misrepresentation of historical figures

    Correct Answer(s)
    A. Widespread popularity
    A. Influence on people’s morals
    Explanation
    Plato's principal objection to "poetry" was its widespread popularity and its influence on people's morals. He believed that poetry, which included drama, confused the audience between appearance and reality. He also argued that it presented extreme and violent actions, and corrupted its audience by bombarding them with inferior characters and vulgar subjects. Plato saw poetry as a harm to the mind of its audience. Therefore, his objection to poetry was based on its popularity and its perceived negative impact on society.

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