A primary ingredient of Shaw's book on the American Revolution is the notion of an adolescent rite of passage, the ritual that in various societies brings about the transition of a person from adolescence to adult-hood. Shaw interprets certain crowd actions that occurred prior to the American Revolution such as the burning of effigies of government officials as adolescent rites of passage. He argues that the Revolution could not have succeeded without these ceremonies. The effigies destroyed were surrogates not merely of the persons represented but of the king, the father who had to be overthrown by the children who were coming of age. The Revolution itself was an adolescent rite of passage a youth movement: not only did the adults who participated in the ritual protests adopt “the spirit or youth initiation” but they were actually joined by children. The colonists could not kill the king until they had prepared themselves by ritually killing other father figures in effigy. The ritual by enabling the colonists to direct their collective dissatisfaction at a single urges emboldened them and thus helped to prepare them for the final rite of passage. What makes this very questionable diagnosis appealing is that it seems to answer problems raised by three very different interpretations of the American Revolution. Gipson has painted so rosy a picture of the empire that it is difficult to see why the colonists should have rebelled. He suggests that the colonists responded to the king's treatment of them as a spoiled child would respond to a caring parent. Shaw's work provides the missing piece. Bailyn has traced the impact on the colonists of the suspicion that there was a conspiracy among English government officials to deprive the colonists of their liberties. He argues that many people of Massachusetts believed that Thomas Hutchinson was at the center of such a conspiracy. Since Hutchinson had done little to deserve the suspicion that fell upon him, the colonists who attacked him appear in Bailyn's work as inexplicably paranoid. Now we have another explanation for this puzzling phenomenon, they were undergoing a preliminary rite of passage using Hutchinson as surrogate father in order to prepare for the overthrow of the king the act that would bring them to the political adulthood for which they yearned. Shaw's interpretation also provides an explanation for the crowd actions that have fascinated Marxist historians. These historians have been trying to endow the crowds that were a conspicuous feature of the early stages of Revolution and that participated in the effigy burning with motives distinct from those espoused by the upper-class leaders of the Revolution. None of their attempts has succeeded. Shaw's interpretation, however, gives new dimensions to the actions of the crowds. It discovers “extrapolitical” motives, albeit unconscious ones, for their rebellion. 1 1. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would find Shaw's interpretation of the American Revolution less appealing if which of the following were commonly regarded by historians as an accurate view of historical events? I. Very few children participated in the various crowd actions that took place prior to and during the American Revolution. II. The king of England was very unfair in his treatment of the American colonists. III. The people of Massachusetts who attacked Thomas Hutchinson had good reason to believe that he had attempted to deprive them of liberties to which they were entitled. (A) I only (B) II only (C) III only (D) I and II only (E) II and III only 2 2. The passage suggests that Shaw would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements regarding the behavior of crowds? (A) In order to interpret the behavior of crowds historians should seek out the motives that individual members of the crowds give for their actions. (B) Interpretations of motives governing individual behavior can be used to illuminate the behavior of crowds. (C) The behavior of crowds can almost always be understood in terms of adolescent rite of passage. (D) The behavior or crowds is almost always determined by the motives espoused by their leaders. (E) Historians theories about the behavior of crowds will almost always founder on the facts 3 3. Which of the following best describes the author's attitude toward Shaw's interpretation of the, American Revolution? (A) He is enthusiastic about it, but feels that it is much too controversial to gain wide acceptance. (B) He admires its novelty, but finds little else to recommend it. (C) He is skeptical about it; yet he finds it attractive. (D) He regards it as reasonable; yet he believes that more information about Revolutionary crowds is needed before it can be accepted. (E) He is dubious about its compatibility with other interpretations of the Revolution. 4 4. According to Bailyn, Thomas Hutchinson was attacked by some of the colonists because (A) he attempted to deny the people of Massachusetts liberties to which they were entitled (B) he opposed the burning of effigies of government officials (C) the colonists who yearned for political adulthood viewed him as a surrogate father (D) some of the colonists believed that he was involved in a conspiracy to deprive them of their rights (E) many colonists viewed him as a leader of the upper class 5 5. According to the author of the passage, Shaw's interpretation of the American Revolution implies that the crowds that participated in the burning of effigies of government officials would probably be unable to (A) overthrow the king in reality as opposed to just burning his effigies (B) explain fully the motivation behind their participation in the effigy-burning rituals (C) view their participation in the rituals as a political act (D) resist the temptation to believe that the king approved of their actions (E) accept the reasons given by upper-class leaders of the Revolution for the rebellion against the king 6 6. According to. Shaw, the burning of effigies of government officials was essential to the success of the American Revolution because it (A) stirred up resentment among colonists who had previously been loyal to the king (B) persuaded the colonists that the colonial government was corrupt and vulnerable (C) caused a great deal of fear among the government officials who represented the king in America (D) demonstrated to the colonists the essential role-played by ritual in any uprising (E) provided the colonists with an initial focus for their dissatisfaction with the king 7 7. The passage suggests that Gipson would describe the rebellion of the colonists as (A) paranoid and cruel behavior (B) considerate though cautious behavior (C) childish and ungrateful behavior (D) reasonable in light of the circumstances (E) inconsistent with their stated beliefs about the king 8 8. The author of the passage is primarily concerned with (A) presenting a view and demonstrating how it solves certain problems (B) reviewing a book and delineating its short-comings (C) defending a thesis that has been the subject of much controversy (D) arguing that a certain novel thesis c:asts doubt on three more popular views (E) advocating a new approach to the interpretation of historical events

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A primary ingredient of Shaw's book on the American Revolution is the

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Sajjad1994

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What is the difference between option A and Option B of question 2?

Sajjad1994

Option A suggests that the sentence is calling into question the sincerity of those who purport to be early film aficionados, while Option (B) is the correct answer. The author most likely intends the final sentence of the passage to carry an implication regarding the proper way of exhibiting early nonfiction films. The sentence emphasizes the importance of understanding the historical context in which the films were made and presented, and suggests that contemporary audiences may not fully understand the significance of early films without that understanding.

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