PrepTest 123, Section 1, Question 12
Countee Cullen (Countee Leroy Porter, 1903–1946) was one(461 more words not shown)
Based on the passage, the(26 more words not shown)
- AIt demonstrates that(10 more words not shown)
- BIt is most(13 more words not shown)
- CIt is more(14 more words not shown)
- DIts reliance on(11 more words not shown)
- EIts focus is(6 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Which critics are we being asked about? The ones in the first sentence praise Cullen's European-style verse. They admire the diction, rhythm, and sound that recreate an older English ballad's atmosphere. So I expect a positive judgment tied to that accomplishment. The later critics' complaints about racial themes belong to a different group.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
They find an “artful use of diction” that captures the atmosphere of the older form. Cullen successfully uses that European tradition in his own work as a Harlem Renaissance poet. That supports its successful adaptation to a different context.
- B
His upbringing and education appear in the first paragraph, but these critics don't identify them as what makes his poetry most notable. Their praise concerns how skillfully he handles the poetic form.
- C
Backward. They praise him for capturing an older English ballad's atmosphere. That is evidence of success at recreating an earlier style, not greater success when he avoids doing so.
- D
They praise his use of European forms without saying those forms are best suited to racial concerns. Successful use doesn't establish which subject matter suits the forms best.
- E
This confuses the praising critics with the later critic who objects to Cullen's apparent division between artistic and racial concerns.
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