1)
Review ¶3 to get a prediction to this question. The author says that Boccaccio
recognized the power of his own book and was horrified by it. (B) says the same.
(A): Out of Scope. Though this isn‘t mentioned in the passage, if Boccaccio
repented writing the Decameron, it would be safe to assume he preferred
whatever he wrote later.
(B): The correct answer
(C): Faulty Use of Detail. The author mentions in several points that Boccaccio did
believe this, but this doesn‘t answer the question of what he thought of his
own work.
(D): Out of Scope. This isn‘t mentioned in the passage, though it can be inferred
that Boccaccio would have been unhappy about this also, since he didn‘t like
the Decameron.
(E): Out of scope.
2)
The question gives hints as to how to figure out the answer to this question: If the
Divine Comedy differs greatly from the Decameron, look for an answer choice that
describes a quality the Decameron possesses. (B) fits, and there‘s no evidence in
the passage that the Divine Comedy is set in Florence anyhow.
(A): Opposite. The author says in ¶3 that the Divine Comedy has this quality.
(B): The correct answer(C): Opposite. This can be inferred from the contrast to Dante‘s work in ¶s 3 and 4.
(D): Opposite. As above, the author describes the Decameron in contrast to
Dante‘s work as being ―entertaining,‖ and so it‘s safe to infer that the Divine
Comedy wasn‘t.
(E): Opposite. This can be concluded from the passage.
3)
Go back to the passage to review the author‘s point in using the Victorian example.
The overall idea is that the Victorian era marked a regression to morals more
restrictive than the ones that Boccaccio describes. All the choices support this
except for (B), which directly contradicts the author‘s point in ¶2 that society
doesn’t necessarily progress.
(A): Opposite. This is suggested by the author‘s description of more restrictive
morality in ¶2.
(B): The correct answer
(C): Opposite. This reinforces the idea that Boccaccio‘s characters were unusual for
their time, a point reinforced by the reference to the morals of the Victorian
era.
(D): Opposite. The author mentions this in ¶2 as a contrast to Victorian habits and
morals.
(E): Opposite. This can be inferred from the information in the passage.