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Question 1
C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
15%
(low)
Question Stats:
82% (02:56) correct
18%
(03:02) wrong
based on 100
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 2
D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
75%
(hard)
Question Stats:
47% (01:43) correct 53%
(02:02) wrong
based on 109
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 3
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
15%
(low)
Question Stats:
74% (00:36) correct 26%
(00:51) wrong
based on 109
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 4
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
35%
(medium)
Question Stats:
62% (00:57) correct 38%
(01:02) wrong
based on 119
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 5
D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
45%
(medium)
Question Stats:
61% (00:48) correct 39%
(00:45) wrong
based on 112
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
According to Professor Philip Sicker of Fordham University, without some form of impediment, a classic love story could not exist, or at best would be short and trite. One prototype for the love story might be the medieval legend “Tristan and Iseult,” in which the two lovers are kept apart by a variety of barriers. Iseult is promised to another man, which prevents Tristan and Iseult from marrying. They carry on an illicit affair until they are found out and separated, and eventually in death have a reuniting of souls. Sicker sees this as the template for all interesting love narratives in Western literature; only the barrier changes to match the times.
In the 19th century, says Sicker, the barrier was usually the forbidden nature of adulterous love, with desire intensified by the proscription against love outside marriage. Examples of this in literature include Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary.
In the 20th century, on the other hand, love and its boundaries became greatly psychologized, as in the novels of Marcel Proust or Thomas Mann. No longer was marriage enough of an impediment; lovers are torn apart by age, class, race, sexual orientation, mental illness, and so on.
“A love story doesn’t go very far,” says Sicker, “if people feel exactly the same way—if there are no obstacles to [that love].” For passionate, romantic love to generate the kind of plot that is compelling for the reader, an impediment to that love must exist to ratchet up the desire and the conflict.
There are examples of characters for whom romantic love is selfdestructive, who do not generate the sort of hopeful rooting for success that most readers bring to a love story. Emma Bovary, in her self-deluded, narcissistic longing for love, is not a heroine that readers admire. Humbert Humbert, the much older lover of the prepubescent girl in Lolita, tries hard to gain the sympathy of the reader while at the same time referring to his behavior and desires as maniacal. Such narratives construct yet another impediment—a barrier between character and reader, as the reader is conflicted about the love story itself.
In the 19th century, says Sicker, the barrier was usually the forbidden nature of adulterous love, with desire intensified by the proscription against love outside marriage. Examples of this in literature include Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary.
In the 20th century, on the other hand, love and its boundaries became greatly psychologized, as in the novels of Marcel Proust or Thomas Mann. No longer was marriage enough of an impediment; lovers are torn apart by age, class, race, sexual orientation, mental illness, and so on.
“A love story doesn’t go very far,” says Sicker, “if people feel exactly the same way—if there are no obstacles to [that love].” For passionate, romantic love to generate the kind of plot that is compelling for the reader, an impediment to that love must exist to ratchet up the desire and the conflict.
There are examples of characters for whom romantic love is selfdestructive, who do not generate the sort of hopeful rooting for success that most readers bring to a love story. Emma Bovary, in her self-deluded, narcissistic longing for love, is not a heroine that readers admire. Humbert Humbert, the much older lover of the prepubescent girl in Lolita, tries hard to gain the sympathy of the reader while at the same time referring to his behavior and desires as maniacal. Such narratives construct yet another impediment—a barrier between character and reader, as the reader is conflicted about the love story itself.
1. Which of the following most accurately captures the central idea of the passage?
(A) Romantic love may be smooth, but it is more often destructive.
(B) To enjoy a love story, readers must root for the main characters.
(C) Classic love stories feature a struggle to attain the love object.
(D) Adultery is no longer an impediment to true romantic love.
(E) Readers prefer a love story in which lovers are finally united.
(A) Romantic love may be smooth, but it is more often destructive.
(B) To enjoy a love story, readers must root for the main characters.
(C) Classic love stories feature a struggle to attain the love object.
(D) Adultery is no longer an impediment to true romantic love.
(E) Readers prefer a love story in which lovers are finally united.
2. Which of the following novels has an impediment similar to those described in the last paragraph?
(A) Lorna Doone, in which Lorna is promised to another but is abducted by John, whose father was killed by Lorna’s relatives
(B) Villette, in which teacher Lucy falls in love with a difficult professor who is loved by the proprietress of the school
(C) My Ántonia, in which Jim looks back sadly on his unconsummated teenage crush on a wild Bohemian girl
(D) The Good Soldier, in which philanderer Edward falls for his own ward but is foiled by his wife’s revelation of his sins
(E) The Snow Goose, in which the girl Fritha bonds with disabled artist Philip over a wounded goose and only after his death realizes her love for him
(A) Lorna Doone, in which Lorna is promised to another but is abducted by John, whose father was killed by Lorna’s relatives
(B) Villette, in which teacher Lucy falls in love with a difficult professor who is loved by the proprietress of the school
(C) My Ántonia, in which Jim looks back sadly on his unconsummated teenage crush on a wild Bohemian girl
(D) The Good Soldier, in which philanderer Edward falls for his own ward but is foiled by his wife’s revelation of his sins
(E) The Snow Goose, in which the girl Fritha bonds with disabled artist Philip over a wounded goose and only after his death realizes her love for him
3. According to the passage, barriers play what crucial role in love stories?
(A) They heighten conflict and desire.
(B) They cause conflict in the reader.
(C) They prevent happy endings.
(D) They reveal hidden longings.
(E) They elongate the narrative.
(A) They heighten conflict and desire.
(B) They cause conflict in the reader.
(C) They prevent happy endings.
(D) They reveal hidden longings.
(E) They elongate the narrative.
4. The quote in the fourth paragraph is most likely included to
(A) clarify the professor’s theory
(B) offer a contrasting view
(C) provide a cogent example
(D) introduce the speaker to the reader
(E) reveal an illuminating detail
(A) clarify the professor’s theory
(B) offer a contrasting view
(C) provide a cogent example
(D) introduce the speaker to the reader
(E) reveal an illuminating detail
5. The professor appears to believe that “Tristan and Iseult” is
(A) archaic
(B) unorthodox
(C) cautionary
(D) archetypal
(E) heartbreaking
(A) archaic
(B) unorthodox
(C) cautionary
(D) archetypal
(E) heartbreaking
09 Jun 2024, 01:01
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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #1
Sicker's central thesis is that without impediment, a classic love story could not exist.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #2
The final paragraph is about characters for whom romantic love is self-destructive, where a barrier may exist between character and reader. Edward in choice (D) is an example of such a character.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #3
Although barriers may indeed elongate the narrative (E), that is not their crucial role. Sicker speaks of the need for an impediment to love that ratchets up desire and conflict.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #4
The quote in the fourth paragraph essentially restates Sicker's central thesis.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #5
The legend is referred to as "one prototype for the love story'
Sicker's central thesis is that without impediment, a classic love story could not exist.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #2
The final paragraph is about characters for whom romantic love is self-destructive, where a barrier may exist between character and reader. Edward in choice (D) is an example of such a character.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #3
Although barriers may indeed elongate the narrative (E), that is not their crucial role. Sicker speaks of the need for an impediment to love that ratchets up desire and conflict.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #4
The quote in the fourth paragraph essentially restates Sicker's central thesis.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #5
The legend is referred to as "one prototype for the love story'
