Before the recent encroachments of tourism and commercialization, the

Question

Before the recent encroachments of tourism and commercialization, the culture of the Gullah communities on the Sea Islands off the southeast coast of the United States retained a unique identity derived partially from the Islands’ history as an area reserved for freed slaves after the Civil War. As an almost exclusively black community, the Gullah preserved African traditions concerning family structure and religious practices. At the same time, as a community of ex-slaves, the residents retained several facets of the Southern life they had left behind. This mixture provided a heritage that until recently was strong enough to sustain a vital culture.

As Patricia Jones-Jackson has pointed out, the basic unit of social life on the Sea Islands, as in West Africa, is the extended family. Since many islands are sectioned off into family communities, kinship ties are important to one’s acceptance into the social structure. Membership in the extended family also affects property rights. In the traditional Gullah system, family members do not normally buy land from one another, but acquire it by an unwritten contract known as “heir’s land.” Rules pertaining to marriage seem to be at least as broad in scope. Common-law marriages are considered as legitimate as marriages recorded by contract under law. Indeed, the infrequent occurrence of divorce and separation within the Sea Island communities demonstrates the strong cohesion of Gullah marital and familial institutions.

Unlike the laws and customs relating to family structure, the religious practices of the Sea Islanders, on the surface at least, bespeak a U.S. heritage. Depending on the village, a Baptist or Methodist church acts as an essential social institution. Yet, in contrast to the dualistic body-soul approach to the individual found in Christian teaching, the Gullah believe that a person has an earthly body, a soul that returns upon death to the Divine Kingdom, and a separate spiritual entity that can remain on Earth and influence the lives of those still living. This belief in a “body spirit” is prevalent among West African peoples, according to Jones-Jackson. She also notes the African influences on the interaction between the minister and the congregation: The prayers and sermons “embody a classical, Ciceronian rhetorical style and employ sophistic ornaments capable of divinely inspiring and passionately persuading a congregation to respond with raucous and joyous replies.”    1 
 1. Which of the following provides the most appropriate title for the passage?

A. Religious Beliefs of the Sea Islanders
B. “Heir’s Land”—Key to the Gullah Culture
C. African and U.S. Influences on Gullah Life
D. Family Structure and Property Rights and the Gullah
E. How Commercialization Has Brought Change to the Sea Islands

2 
 2. According to the passage, all of the following aspects of the culture of the Sea Islanders show the influence of African traditions EXCEPT the

A. family structure
B. conception of the afterlife
C. method of acquiring land
D. style used in prayers and sermons
E. importance of the churches as social institutions

3 
 3. It can be inferred that the institution of “heir’s land” allows the transfer of property under the terms of

A. a formal grant by the government
B. a marriage settlement between families
C. an oral agreement among family members
D. a written deed of ownership
E. an alteration of communal rights

4 
 4. On the basis of information supplied by the passage, which of the following would most likely resemble a social experience of a Sea Islander?

A. Dividing property in a divorce settlement under court supervision
B. Being required to sell one’s home because it lies in the path of a new highway
C. Growing up in a communal household composed of unrelated adults
D. Learning how to play a traditional song on a centuries-old instrument
E. Being given employment by a relative on the basis of one’s standing in the family

5 
 5. The author’s attitude towards the Gullah can best be described as

A. sympathetic and receptive
B. ambivalent and uncertain
C. detached and quizzical
D. morally outraged
E. quietly scornful

6 
 6. According to the passage, Patricia Jones-Jackson believes which of the following reveals an African influence on Gullah religious services?

A. The role of music in Gullah services
B. The number of Gullah sermons on African topics
C. The infrequency of divorce among Gullah families
D. The type of vocal participation by the Gullah congregation
E. The Gullah belief in the African origins of their institutions

Kaplan GRE Verbal Workbook 2007

swirlsky · Answer

#4 
Let’s look at the easy ones A and C first
A - divorce is uncommon in the community
C - grow up with related adults because of extended family.

B - people acquire property. They don’t buy or sell.
Between D and E
D says old instrument is available to people and traditional song is played. Could be true

E says family relationships are important. Definitely true.

Therefore E is the answer

Posted from my mobile device

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

4. On the basis of information supplied by the passage, which of the following would most likely resemble a social experience of a Sea Islander?

Explanation

In this application question, look for a social experience that parallels one described, probably in more general terms, in the passage. The  second paragraph  states the importance of family ties and illustrates this by discussing how family members can acquire land through these ties. This is similar to acquiring a job, or any other benefit, through family connections. (Note that you don’t need to find evidence that the Sea Islanders get jobs in this way—the point is that  choice (E)  is logically similar to an experience of the Sea Islanders, not that they might have this exact experience.)

Choice (A)  is out, primarily because of its reference to court supervision. The only reference to property (the third and fourth sentences of paragraph 2) emphasizes exchanges within the family with no such supervision. More generally, courts and other government institutions are not mentioned anywhere in the passage.

Choice (B)  is certainly not like anything in traditional Gullah life; it might be like an experience that has occurred since the  “encroachments of tourism and commercialization,”  except that we’re never told what these encroachments have been.

Choice (C)  relates to the importance of family units, but it is the extended family that is important to the Gullah, whereas  choice (C)  involves unrelated adults.

Choice (D)  comes out of left field (the GRE does occasionally throw in such farfetched choices). It has two problems. First, we’re not told whether or not Gullah culture contains artistic or other intellectual elements handed down from time immemorial as traditions. Second,  choice (D)  could refer to relearning a moribund tradition as well as to learning to perform in a living tradition; the passage, however, makes it clear that Gullah traditions as a whole are still very much alive.

Answer: E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

5. The author’s attitude towards the Gullah can best be described as

Explanation

This is a tone question. The author is relatively objective, but still favorable to Gullah culture, calling it  “unique”  and  “vital,”  and its heritage  “strong.”  This makes the positive, but restrained, terms in  choice (A)  accurate.

Choice (B)  describes a hesitant, wavering approach, one that would be characterized by mixed feelings or conflicting ideas—this simply doesn’t fit the author’s approach. Given the relative objectivity just mentioned,  “detached”  in  choice (C)  is not too far off, but  “quizzical”  (puzzled, bemused) is totally out.

Choices (D)  and  (E)  are the opposite.

Answer: A

usuallysmiling · Answer

Can please provide an explanation to #2, why it isn't "B".

guddo · Answer

2. According to the passage, all of the following aspects of the culture of the Sea Islanders show the influence of African traditions EXCEPT the

The passage says Sea Island culture reflects both African traditions and elements from U.S. Southern life. It specifically links African influence to the extended family, beliefs about the spirit after death, and the style of sermons and congregation response. So the correct answer must be the one that is  not presented as African in origin .
 
(A) family structure

This is clearly African. The passage says the extended family is the basic unit of social life, as in West Africa.

(B) conception of the afterlife

This is also African. The belief in a separate “body spirit” is said to be prevalent among West African peoples.

(C) method of acquiring land

This is African influence too. It is discussed in the paragraph about family structure, which the passage presents as modeled on West African patterns.

(D) style used in prayers and sermons

This is also linked to Africa. Jones-Jackson notes African influence on the interaction between minister and congregation.

(E) importance of the churches as social institutions

This is the exception. The passage says that, on the surface at least, these religious practices “bespeak a U.S. heritage.” So this is not presented as African influence.

Answer: (E)

Before the recent encroachments of tourism and commercialization, the

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