PrepTest 113, Section 1, Question 20

Working the answers

• A

  Defending Ellison isn't the same as ranking him among the century's most important novelists. No such ranking is made.

• B

  Jazz is used to improve our understanding, which makes this tempting. But we're discussing one novel, Invisible Man, not the novels of a literary trend. The answer expands the subject beyond the argument we read.

• C

  The protagonist and political concerns are mentioned. But the writer doesn't primarily explain how the character and story relate to the period's particular political issues. Those conditions motivate the critics' demands; the response defends Ellison's choices and continuing cultural connection.

• D
  Correct

  The critics wanted art directed toward the “political action” they thought the era required. Ellison resists sacrificing individuality to that demand, and the jazz comparison develops a defense of his work. This captures the purpose without implying that the novel has no social concerns at all.

• E

  This would be a general comparison of two kinds of artistic value. The argument stays focused on Ellison and his novel. It also shows that individual expression and cultural connection can go together, rather than simply placing them in separate categories.