PrepTest 123, Section 1, Question 7
Countee Cullen (Countee Leroy Porter, 1903–1946) was one(461 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AWhile much of(27 more words not shown)
- BWhile Cullen used(20 more words not shown)
- CThough Cullen used(19 more words not shown)
- DDespite the success(21 more words not shown)
- EThe religious dimension(20 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
We already have our main point: Cullen uses European poetic forms and keeps his concern for racial issues, even as religion becomes more prominent in his later work. His emphasis changes; his commitment to race doesn't disappear.
What we’re looking for
Let's find an answer that captures that picture. A detail about one poem or one critic's complaint won't summarize what we've learned about his work.
Working the answers
- A
Tempting, but “less concerned” is wrong. Explicit racial references decline, but his concern about racial issues remained just as strong (paragraph 3). A portrays him as caring less about race, which distorts the development we're trying to summarize.
- BCorrect
This matches our prediction: European forms, increasing religious emphasis, and a continued concern with race. The final paragraph explicitly says he remained committed to racial concerns throughout his career (paragraph 3). It brings those parts of his work together.
- C
The critics question whether those forms suit racial themes. Cullen rejects that criticism. Presenting their objection as something he acknowledged gets a central disagreement wrong, so it cannot summarize his approach.
- D
Recreating an English ballad's atmosphere describes one praised poem. D turns that example into Cullen's primary goal across his work, leaving out the broader picture of his forms, racial concerns, and changing emphasis.
- E
The connection between religion and race is real, but “throughout” goes too far. We learn that religion increasingly provides a broader setting for racial concerns in his later work. Treating that as the focus throughout his poetry loses the development the author explains.
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