PrepTest 124, Section 4, Question 1
Asian American poetry from Hawaii, the Pacific island(475 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AThe poetry of(27 more words not shown)
- BLum's poetry is(26 more words not shown)
- CLum writes poetry(24 more words not shown)
- DThe poetry of(24 more words not shown)
- ELum's poetry is(21 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
We've already predicted that Lum's poetry stands apart because it explores both his heritage and his search for a local identity. We're looking for some version of that idea, including what makes him different from the other Asian American poets from Hawaii.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
This captures both the contrast and its substance. Lum acknowledges his heritage while seeking a new local identity. The lunar-celebration poem, his qualified praise of Chinese literary tradition, and the closing communal-meal image develop those connected concerns.
- B
This picks up the tension between community and individual success near the end. It's relevant, but it leaves out the larger point about what distinguishes Lum's poetry and how it brings heritage and local identity together.
- C
Criticizing elitism in some Chinese poets doesn't establish both kinds of rejection claimed here. We aren't told that Lum rejects popular Hawaiian literary traditions. His work's difference from familiar categories is not the same as rejecting those traditions.
- D
The Hawaii–mainland difference appears as background in the first paragraph. But the central contrast is between Lum and other Asian American poets from Hawaii. D makes the geographic comparison the point instead of explaining what distinguishes his work.
- E
“Unsuccessful” has no support. The writer explains what Lum accomplishes and treats his approach favorably; we aren't told that his effort to combine heritage and a new identity fails.
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