Fairy tales address themselves to two communities, each with its own

Question

Fairy tales address themselves to two communities,
each with its own interests and each in periodic conflict
with the other: parents and children. Nearly every
study of fairy tales has taken the perspective of the
  (5)   parent, constructing the meaning of the tales by using
the reading strategies of an adult bent on identifying
universally valid tenets of moral instruction for
children.

For example, the plot of “Hansel and Gretel” is set
  (10)   in motion by hard-hearted parents who abandon their
children in the woods, but for psychologist Bruno
Bettelheim the tale is really about children who learn to
give up their unhealthy dependency on their parents.
According to Bettelheim, this story—in which the
  (15)   children ultimately overpower a witch who has taken
them prisoner for the crime of attempting to eat the
witch’s gingerbread house—forces its young audience
to recognize the dangers of unrestrained greed. As
dependent children, Bettelheim argues, Hansel and
  (20)   Gretel had been a burden to their parents, but on
their return home with the witch’s jewels, they become the
family’s support. Thus, says Bettelheim, does the story
train its young listeners to become “mature children.”
There are two ways of interpreting a story: one is a
  (25)   “superficial” reading that focuses on the tale’s 
manifest content, and the other is a “deeper” reading that 
looks for latent meanings. Many adults who read fairy tales
are drawn to this second kind of interpretation in order
to avoid facing the unpleasant truths that can emerge
  (30)   from the tales when adults—even parents—are
portrayed as capable of acting out of selfish motives
themselves. What makes fairy tales attractive to
Bettelheim and other psychologists is that they can be
used as scenarios that position the child as a
  (35)   transgressor whose deserved punishment provides a
lesson for unruly children. Stories that run counter to
such orthodoxies about child-rearing are, to a large
extent, suppressed by Bettelheim or “rewritten”
through reinterpretation. Once we examine his
  (40)   interpretations closely, we see that his readings
produce meanings that are very different from those
constructed by readers with different cultural
assumptions and expectations, who, unlike Bettelheim,
do not find inflexible tenets of moral instruction in the
  (45)   tales.

Bettelheim interprets all fairy tales as driven by
children’s fantasies of desire and revenge, and in doing
so suppresses the true nature of parental behavior
ranging from abuse to indulgence. Fortunately, these
  (50)   characterizations of selfish children and innocent 
adults have been discredited to some extent by recent
psychoanalytic literature. The need to deny adult evil
has been a pervasive feature of our society, leading us
to position children not only as the sole agents of evil
  (55)   but also as the objects of unending moral instruction,
hence the idea that a literature targeted for them must
stand in the service of pragmatic instrumentality rather
than foster an unproductive form of playful pleasure.    1 
 1. Which one of the following most accurately states the main idea of the passage?

(A) While originally written for children, fairy tales also contain a deeper significance for adults that psychologists such as Bettelheim have shown to be their true meaning.
(B) The “superficial” reading of a fairy tale, which deals only with the tale’s content, is actually more enlightening for children than the “deeper” reading preferred by psychologists such as Bettelheim.
(C) Because the content of fairy tales has historically run counter to prevailing orthodoxies about child-rearing, psychologists such as Bettelheim sometimes reinterpret them to suit their own pedagogical needs.
(D) The pervasive need to deny adult evil has led psychologists such as Bettelheim to erroneously view fairy tales solely as instruments of moral instruction for children.
(E) Although dismissed as unproductive by psychologists such as Bettelheim, fairy tales offer children imaginative experiences that help them grow into morally responsible adults.

2 
 2. Based on the passage, which one of the following elements of “Hansel and Gretel” would most likely be de-emphasized in Bettelheim’s interpretation of the tale?

(A) Hansel and Gretel are abandoned by their hard-hearted parents.
(B) Hansel and Gretel are imprisoned by the witch.
(C) Hansel and Gretel overpower the witch.
(D) Hansel and Gretel take the witch’s jewels.
(E) Hansel and Gretel bring the witch’s jewels home to their parents.

3 
 3. Which one of the following is the most accurate description of the author’s attitude toward Bettelheim’s view of fairy tales?

(A) concern that the view will undermine the ability of fairy tales to provide moral instruction
(B) scorn toward the view’s supposition that moral tenets can be universally valid
(C) disapproval of the view’s depiction of children as selfish and adults as innocent
(D) anger toward the view’s claim that children often improve as a result of deserved punishment
(E) disappointment with the view’s emphasis on the manifest content of a tale

4 
 4. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Children who never attempt to look for the deeper meanings in fairy tales will miss out on one of the principal pleasures of reading such tales.
(B) It is better if children discover fairy tales on their own than for an adult to suggest that they read the tales.
(C) A child who is unruly will behave better after reading a fairy tale if the tale is suggested to them by another child.
(D) Most children are too young to comprehend the deeper meanings contained in fairy tales.
(E) Children should be allowed to enjoy literature that has no instructive purpose.

5 
 5. Which one of the following principles most likely underlies the author’s characterization of literary interpretation?

(A) Only those trained in literary interpretation can detect the latent meanings in stories.
(B) Only adults are psychologically mature enough to find the latent meanings in stories.
(C) Only one of the various meanings readers may find in a story is truly correct.
(D) The meanings we see in stories are influenced by the assumptions and expectations we bring to the story.
(E) The latent meanings a story contains are deliberately placed there by the author.

6 
 6. According to the author, recent psychoanalytic literature suggests tha t

(A) the moral instruction children receive from fairy tales is detrimental to their emotional development
(B) fewer adults are guilty of improper childrearing than had once been thought
(C) the need to deny adult evil is a pervasive feature of all modern societies
(D) the plots of many fairy tales are similar to children’s revenge fantasies
(E) the idea that children are typically selfish and adults innocent is of questionable validity

7 
 7. It can be inferred from the passage that Bettelheim believes that children are

(A) uninterested in inflexible tenets of moral instruction
(B) unfairly subjected to the moral beliefs of their parents
(C) often aware of inappropriate parental behavior
(D) capable of shedding undesirable personal qualities
(E) basically playful and carefree

8 
 8. Which one of the following statements is least compatible with Bettelheim’s views, as those views are described in the passage?

(A) The imaginations of children do not draw clear distinctions between inanimate objects and living things.
(B) Children must learn that their own needs and feelings are to be valued, even when these differ from those of their parents.
(C) As their minds mature, children tend to experience the world in terms of the dynamics of the family into which they were born.
(D) The more secure that children feel within the world, the less they need to hold onto infantile notions.
(E) Children’s ability to distinguish between stories and reality is not fully developed until puberty.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

Eplanation

(A)  is the latest in a wearying series of wrong answers that fail to notice that the author dislikes the so-called deeper meanings, and wants fairy tales to be read for pure pleasure.

(B) —The challenge of getting kids to read falls outside the scope.

(C) —Recommendations from peers fall way outside the scope; and in any case the passage is concerned with interpretations of texts, not with whether fairy tales can or do actually improve children.

(D) , like  (A) , implies that so-called  “deeper meanings”  are to be sought, when the author plainly means for them to be avoided.

(E)  is all that’s left, and it had better be correct. It is. It says simply what lines 56–58 said more wordily, that moral instruction need have no place in kids’ reading diet.

Answer: E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

7. It can be inferred from the passage that Bettelheim believes that children are

Explanation

Bettelheim must believe that children are behaviorally malleable  (D) , otherwise he wouldn’t go to such pains to treat fairy tales as vehicles for such molding.

(A) —Bettelheim seems interested in using fairy tales for moral instruction whether kids are interested in same or not.

(B)  is a view sympathetic to kids against their parents, and hence at odds with Bettelheim’s sense of things.

(C) —Children’s awareness or unawareness never enters the scope of the passage.

(E) —If Bettelheim accepted this view of kids, he’d probably be less insistent on the moral uplift of literature and more likely to support the kind of reading that reflects carefree play.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

8. Which one of the following statements is least compatible with Bettelheim’s views, as those views are described in the passage?

Explanation

We can infer that four of the five choices sit easily with Bettelheim’s view of the world. That doesn’t mean that Bettelheim must necessarily agree with the four wrong answers, simply that they don’t contradict his views. (And the likelihood is that the right answer, which contradicts Bettelheim, is probably something that our author would propound.) Attack the choices in order.

(A) ’s idea that kids don’t clearly distinguish living things and objects doesn’t contradict any of Bettelheim’s ideas, and may get slight support from the way in which Hansel and Gretel seem to see the witch’s gingerbread house and jewels as extensions of human personality. In any case  (A)  is consistent with the idea that very young children can be molded through vivid stories.

(B) , which celebrates children’s self-image over parental priorities, runs counter to Bettelheim’s notion of the “child as transgressor” who is in need of “unending moral instruction.” Hence (B) is the right answer here.

(C) —Bettelheim would have no problem with  (C) ’s family-centric conception of child development; it would fit in nicely with the idea that parents are innocent and kids are to be molded by them.

(D)  essentially defines the assumption that Bettelheim is making when he asserts that a story can apply  “universally valid”  moral tenets to train children into maturity.

(E) , like  (A)  is consonant with the idea that very young children’s behavior and moral sense can be molded through the use of fairy tales.

Answer: B

Raman109 · Answer

7. It can be inferred from the passage that Bettelheim believes that children are

(A) uninterested in inflexible tenets of moral instruction - the opposite of what Bettelheim believes.

(B) unfairly subjected to the moral beliefs of their parents - No. At best, it's the opposite.

(C) often aware of inappropriate parental behavior - No mention in the passage.

(D) capable of shedding undesirable personal qualities - Yes. In the passage, Bettelheim discusses how fairy tales can serve as psychological tools that help children confront and overcome challenges. For example, he interprets "Hansel and Gretel" as a tale where children learn to assert themselves and become more independent from their parents. This interpretation suggests that fairy tales can assist children in shedding undesirable personal qualities such as dependency or fear.

(E) basically playful and carefree - The passage discusses how fairy tales serve educational purposes and impart moral lessons, suggesting a more complex view of children's engagement with stories beyond mere playfulness.

guddo · Answer

1. Which one of the following most accurately states the main idea of the passage?

The passage criticizes adult-centered interpretations of fairy tales, especially Bettelheim’s. The author argues that such interpretations often  suppress evidence of selfish or harmful adult behavior and instead turn children into the source of wrongdoing , allowing fairy tales to be treated mainly as instruments of moral instruction.

(A) While originally written for children, fairy tales also contain a deeper significance for adults that psychologists such as Bettelheim have shown to be their true meaning.

Incorrect. The author challenges Bettelheim’s claim to have uncovered the “true” deeper meaning of fairy tales.

(B) The “superficial” reading of a fairy tale, which deals only with the tale’s content, is actually more enlightening for children than the “deeper” reading preferred by psychologists such as Bettelheim.

Incorrect. The author criticizes Bettelheim’s deeper interpretations but does not argue that superficial readings are necessarily more enlightening for children.

(C) Because the content of fairy tales has historically run counter to prevailing orthodoxies about child-rearing, psychologists such as Bettelheim sometimes reinterpret them to suit their own pedagogical needs.

Incorrect. This captures an important part of the passage, especially the discussion of stories being “rewritten” through interpretation, but it is too narrow. The passage more broadly explains why such reinterpretation occurs, particularly the desire to deny adult wrongdoing.

(D) The pervasive need to deny adult evil has led psychologists such as Bettelheim to erroneously view fairy tales solely as instruments of moral instruction for children.

Correct.   This captures the central criticism developed throughout the passage. Bettelheim’s interpretations minimize or suppress selfish and harmful adult behavior, cast children as the transgressors, and turn fairy tales into lessons designed to discipline children.

(E) Although dismissed as unproductive by psychologists such as Bettelheim, fairy tales offer children imaginative experiences that help them grow into morally responsible adults.

Incorrect. The author does not claim that fairy tales help children become morally responsible adults. In fact, the passage criticizes the assumption that children’s literature must primarily serve moral instruction.

Answer: (D)

guddo · Answer

4. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

The author criticizes the idea that children’s literature must always serve a moral or instructional purpose. The final lines contrast this view with the possibility that literature can simply provide  playful pleasure .

(A) Children who never attempt to look for the deeper meanings in fairy tales will miss out on one of the principal pleasures of reading such tales.

Incorrect. The author is skeptical of imposed “deeper” interpretations and does not claim that children need to search for hidden meanings.

(B) It is better if children discover fairy tales on their own than for an adult to suggest that they read the tales.

Incorrect. The passage does not discuss whether adults or children should choose the stories.

(C) A child who is unruly will behave better after reading a fairy tale if the tale is suggested to them by another child.

Incorrect. Nothing in the passage supports this claim.

(D) Most children are too young to comprehend the deeper meanings contained in fairy tales.

Incorrect. The author questions whether these supposed deeper meanings are really inherent in the tales at all.

(E) Children should be allowed to enjoy literature that has no instructive purpose.

Correct.   The passage criticizes the assumption that literature for children must always function as moral instruction and contrasts this with literature that can simply provide  playful pleasure . So the author would clearly agree that children should be allowed to enjoy literature without an instructive purpose.

Answer: (E)

Fairy tales address themselves to two communities, each with its own

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Fairy tales address themselves to two communities, each with its own

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