THE HEINEMANN TOEFL COURSE PRACTICE TEST 2 READING PART 3 (Questions 21-30)

THE HEINEMANN TOEFL COURSE

PRACTICE TEST 2

READING

PART 3 (Questions 21-30)

This rapid transcontinental settlement and these new urban industrial circumstances of the last half of the 19“’ century were accompanied by the development of a national literature of great abundance and variety. Line New themes, new forms, new subjects, new regions, new authors, new audiences all emerged in the literature of this half century. As a result, at the onset of World War I, the spirit and substance of American literature had evolved remarkably, just as its center of production had shifted from Boston to New York In the late 1880s and the sources of its energy to Chicago and the Midwest. No longer was it produced, at least in its popular forms, in the main by solemn, typically moralistic men from New England and the Old South; no longer were polite, well-dressed, grammatically correct, middle-class young people the only central characters in its narratives no longer were these narratives to be set in exotic places and remote times; no longer, indeed, were fiction, poetry, drama, and formal history the chief acceptable forms of literary expression; no longer, finally, was literature read primarily by young, middle class women. In sum, American literature in these years fulfilled in considerable measure the condition Walt Whitman called for inl867 in describing Leaves of Grass: It treats, he said of his own major work, each state and region as peers “and expands from them, and includes the world … connecting an American citizen with the citizens of all nations.” At the same time, these years saw the emergence of what has been designated “the literature of argument,” powerful works in sociology, philosophy, psychology, many of them impelled by the spirit of exposure and reform. Just as America learned to play a role in this half century as an autonomous international political, economic, and military power, so did its literature establish itself as a producer of major works. 21 The main idea of this passage is A that the new American literature was less provincial than the old that World War I caused a dramatic change in America that centers of culture shifted from East to West that most people were wary of the new literature B C D 22 It can be inferred from lines 1-3 that the previous passage probably discussed A the importance of tradition to writers new developments in industrialization and population shifts the fashions and values of 19th century America the limitations of American literature to this time B C D 23 The word "evolved" in line 6 is closest in meaning to A became famous turned back diminished changed B C D 24 The word "it" in line 8 refers to A the population the energy American literature the manufacturing B C D 25 The word "exotic" in line 12 is closest in meaning to A urban unusual well-known old-fashioned B C D 26 The author uses the word "indeed" in line 13 for what purpose? A To emphasize the contrast he is making For variety in a lengthy paragraph To wind down his argument To show a favorable attitude to these forms of literature B C D 27 . The phrase "these years" in line 15 refers to A 1850-1900 the 1900s the early 1800s the present B C D 28 It can be inferred from the passage that Walt Whitman A disliked urban life was disapproving of the new literature wrote Leaves of Grass was an international diplomat B C D 29 All of the following can be inferred from the passage about the new literature EXCEPT A It was not highly regarded internationally It introduced new American themes, characters, and settings It broke with many literary traditions of the past It spoke to the issue of reform and change B C D
	30	This passage would probably be read in which of the following academic courses?
		A	European history American literature Current events International affairs
		B
		C
		D

ANSWER KEY

21. A   The correct answer (A) is arrived at by quickly reading the passage and noting the recurring key concepts which are set out in contrast: the new American literature and the change from traditional to more liberal authors, characters and settings, literary forms,and readers. The conclusion of the passage, found in lines 15-19, restates the main idea: In sum, American literature in these years... expands... and includes the world... connecting the American citizen with the citizens of all nations. This concept is a change from the earlier more traditional and conservative local views inferring that the new literature is less provincial than the old. 22. B   The correct answer (B) is found in lines 1-2. The words This transcontinental settlement and these urban industrial circumstances are paraphrased in (B) as population shifts and industrialization. This and these indicate that the concepts of population shifts and industrialization were discussed in the passage immediately preceding. 23. D   Clues to the meaning of "evolved" are the phrases using new in the preceding sentences. The comparison of American literature to the center of production which had shifted from Boston to New York also relates the idea of change. 24. С   The pronoun "it" in line 8 refers to American literature mentioned in line 6 and referred to in lines 6 and 8. 25. B   In lines 17-19 the author states that the new literature was for the common American and was to address local and regional settings. The immediate context of the word exotic in line 12 is no longer will these narratives be set in exotic places and remote times; it can be concluded that an exotic place is not usual or commonly known. 26. A  The point that the author is making in lines 3-15 is the contrast of the old literature to the new literature. The repetition of the phrase no longer introduces each supporting detail; the use of indeed adds emphasis to one example— the contrast of the literary forms of the past and the new American literature. 27. A  Clues to the reference to "these years" in line 15 is found at the beginning of the passage the last half of the 19th century (line 2), which set the time frame for the introduction of the new American literature that is described in the passage. The last half of the 19th century includes the years 1985-1900. 28. С   The correct answer (C) can be inferred by using the clues in lines 15-19:.. .the condition Walt Whitman called for in 1867 in describing Leaves of Grass: it treats, he said of his own major work,.... The passage states that Walt Whitman's description of Leaves of Grass is a description of his own major work (his own book). (A) and (D) cannot be inferred from the passage. (B) is untrue according to the passage—Whitman called for the condition which the new literature fulfilled, implying that he approved of it. 29. A   The correct answer (A) can be inferred from the last lines of the passage Just as America learned to play a role in this half century as an autonomous international political, economic, and military power, so did its literature establish itself as a producer of major works. These lines show that literature was also esteemed as an American contribution on the international scene. The other answers are true according to the passage: (B) lines 3-14, (С) lines 4-6, and (D) lines 19-22. 30. B    The topic of the passage is literature, specifically, American literature. Therefore (B) is the logical academic course in which it would be read.