Mississippi-born writer Tennessee Williams, one of America's most

Question

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Passage # 43, Date: 22-Apr-2020
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Mississippi-born writer Tennessee Williams, one of America's most celebrated playwrights, created some of the most triumphal dramas in American theater. His twenty-five full-length plays contain characters trapped in a world that often neglects and even punishes those who dream of escaping their circumstances. Fellow playwright Arthur Miller once said, "Tennessee wanted not to approve or disapprove, but to touch the germ of life and to celebrate it with verbal beauty." Williams's works reveal the disturbing complexities of the human condition with honesty and lyrical understanding.

Perhaps more than any other dramatist, Tennessee Williams inscribed his personal life---including his lifelong struggles with substance abuse---into his scripts. The Glass Menagerie, his first critical success, is a story of people too fragile to deal with the realities of their own lives. Williams's characters were inspired by members of his own family. The Glass Menagerie served as a model for many of the autobiographical dramas that followed it.

Prior to Menagerie, the Broadway play emphasized plot. But Williams pushed language to center stage. His characters' lines are fluid, idiomatic, full of imagery, and rhythmically composed. His use of symbolism invests his characters with mythic dimension. A rose, a bird, and a cat take on metaphorical significance in his other plays. While Williams uninhibitedly aired the "closets, attics and basements of human behavior," he treated his characters with compassion. His works also addressed issues such as sexuality and neurosis that had previously been taboo subjects.    1 
 1. The passage is primarily concerned with discussing

a) the significance of The Glass Menagerie on the development of Tennessee Williams's career
b) the influence of family on Tennessee Williams's dramas
c) the way American culture changed because of the revolutionary works of Tennessee Williams
d) the distinctive aspects of Tennessee Williams's plays
e) the effect The Glass Menagerie had on subsequent Broadway plays

2 
 2. Which of the following would have been a likely source of creative inspiration for Tennessee Williams?

I. Williams's schizophrenic sister, who spent much of her life institutionalized
II. Williams's own battles with hypochondria and depression, as well as his addictions to liquor, sedatives, and barbiturates
III. Sidney Lanier, a southern poet who captured the pauses, rhythms, and repetitions that are distinctive of southern speech

a) I only
b) II only
c) III only
d) I and II only
e) I, II, and III

3 
 3. The passage supports which of the following statements?

a) Tennessee Williams insisted that plot take precedence over dialogue.
b) The Glass Menagerie was the first autobiographical play that dealt with the complexities of the human condition.
c) Tennessee Williams considered himself to be a great playwright.
d) The characters in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie find it difficult to confront the nature of their existence.
e) The Glass Menagerie used plants and animals to create metaphors of the human condition.

4 
 4. With which of the following statements regarding the impact that Tennessee Williams had on the American theater would the author most probably agree?

a) Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie generated an entirely new kind of play called the autobiographical drama.
b) No other playwright has been able to achieve the linguistic innovation that Tennessee Williams achieved.
c) Tennessee Williams's work re-defined the scope of the American theater.
d) Before The Glass Menagerie, symbols and imagery had never been used to develop multi-faceted characters.
e) Tennessee Williams's works are essentially concerned with the pain and confusion of being alive

ksht · Answer

1. The passage is primarily concerned with discussing
 a) the significance of The Glass Menagerie on the development of Tennessee Williams's career  - no focussed on William's career
 b) the influence of family on Tennessee Williams's dramas  - just one line address impact of family but not whole passage
 c) the way American culture changed because of the revolutionary works of Tennessee Williams  - Broadway changed not american culture
 d) the distinctive aspects of Tennessee Williams's plays  - Correct
 e) the effect The Glass Menagerie had on subsequent Broadway plays  - last para talks about effect and aspect of plays in general. Terms like -'in his other plays.' and 'His works' are used- so not focused on The Glass Menagerie

2. Which of the following would have been a likely source of creative inspiration for Tennessee Williams?
 I. Williams's schizophrenic sister, who spent much of her life institutionalized  - Williams's characters were inspired by members of his own family.
 II. Williams's own battles with hypochondria and depression, as well as his addictions to liquor, sedatives, and barbiturates  - Tennessee Williams inscribed his personal life---including his lifelong struggles with substance abuse---into his scripts.
 III. Sidney Lanier, a southern poet who captured the pauses, rhythms, and repetitions that are distinctive of southern speech 
a) I only
b) II only
c) III only
 d) I and II only  - correct
e) I, II, and III

3. The passage supports which of the following statements?
 a) Tennessee Williams insisted that plot take precedence over dialogue.  - rather opposite
 b) The Glass Menagerie was the first autobiographical play that dealt with the complexities of the human condition.  - nowhere mentioned first autobiographical play
 c) Tennessee Williams considered himself to be a great playwright.  - may be / may be not, not mentioned
 d) The characters in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie find it difficult to confront the nature of their existence.  - Correct- 'people too fragile to deal with the realities of their own lives' 
 e) The Glass Menagerie used plants and animals to create metaphors of the human condition . - used in other plays not in The Glass Menagerie as mentioned in para 3

4. With which of the following statements regarding the impact that Tennessee Williams had on the American theater would the author most probably agree?
 a) Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie generated an entirely new kind of play called the autobiographical drama.  - author is not focused on autobiographical scope
 b) No other playwright has been able to achieve the linguistic innovation that Tennessee Williams achieved.  - Correct - 'Prior to Menagerie, the Broadway play emphasized plot. But Williams pushed language to center stage'
 c) Tennessee Williams's work re-defined the scope of the American theater.  - confused between b and c, went with b as specifically mentioned by author
 d) Before The Glass Menagerie, symbols and imagery had never been used to develop multi-faceted characters.  - symbols and imagery are used in other plays not sure if used in The Glass Menagerie
 e) Tennessee Williams's works are essentially concerned with the pain and confusion of being alive  - The Glass Menagerie deals with this but not sure about other works of William

varun325 · Answer

03:43
1. The passage is primarily concerned with discussing

a) the significance of The Glass Menagerie on the development of Tennessee Williams's career. This was his first critically acclaimed but no more info given.
b) the influence of family on Tennessee Williams's dramas. This also covers very small part. Only mentioned in para 2.
c)  the way American culture changed  because of the revolutionary works of Tennessee Williams. Out of context. Importance of T.W plays in American Drama is mentioned but culture change is not mentioned anywhere.
 d) the distinctive aspects of Tennessee Williams's plays ( correct) .The passage is all about the style & the uniqueness in T.W Plays , his preferences for subjects & language & His compassion for the characters. 
 The passage starts with the importance of T.W plays in American Drama and then gives an overview about the uniqueness in the plays.
More info about the characters in one of his critically acclaimed plays and from where these characters were inspired. More details about his plays and the topics he had covered. 
e)  the effect  The Glass Menagerie had on subsequent Broadway plays. Out of context

01:58

2. Which of the following would have been a likely source of creative inspiration for Tennessee Williams?

Fragile is a person who can't accept the ways of the world .

I. Williams's schizophrenic sister, who spent much of her life institutionalized ( Not conscious person so can't say she was fragile)
II. Williams's own battles with hypochondria and depression, as well as his addictions to liquor, sedatives, and barbiturates
III. Sidney Lanier, a southern poet who captured the pauses, rhythms, and repetitions that are distinctive of southern speech ( She looks natural)

a) I only. 
 b) II only (correct) The fragile unable to deal with realities of their lives. 
c) III only
d) I and II only
e) I, II, and III

02:15

3. The passage supports which of the following statements?

a) Tennessee Williams insisted that plot take precedence over dialogue.( opposite T.W took language to centre stage)
b) The Glass Menagerie was the first autobiographical play that dealt with the complexities of the human condition.( Not mentioned that whether it was the first play or not)
c) Tennessee Williams considered himself to be a great playwright.( Not mentioned)
 d) The characters in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie find it difficult to confront the nature of their existence.( Correct) Fragile characters. 
e) The Glass Menagerie used plants and animals to create metaphors of the  human condition.  ( human condition is doubted)

02:42

4. With which of the following statements regarding the impact that Tennessee Williams had on the American theater would the author most probably agree?

a) Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie generated an entirely new kind of play called the autobiographical drama.( This is close ) The play served as model for other plays but not sure whether it was the first autobiographical drama.
b) No other playwright has been able to achieve the linguistic innovation that Tennessee Williams achieved.( T.W is one of the most celebrated but not the most) 
c) Tennessee Williams's work re-defined the scope of the American theater.( very extreme)
d) Before The Glass Menagerie, symbols and imagery had never been used to develop multi-faceted characters.( Not mentioned)
 e) Tennessee Williams's works are essentially concerned with the pain and confusion of being alive ( Correct)

bM22 · Answer

1. The passage is primarily concerned with discussing

a) the significance of The Glass Menagerie on the development of Tennessee Williams's career
b) the influence of family on Tennessee Williams's dramas
c) the way American culture changed because of the revolutionary works of Tennessee Williams
 d) the distinctive aspects of Tennessee Williams's plays
 e) the effect The Glass Menagerie had on subsequent Broadway plays

Correct Answer - D
 Explanation - As throughout the passage, we can see the different aspects that Tennessee Williams potrayed through his plays and what all props and inspirations he used from his personal life into his scripts.
Options A, B, E - incorrect, is just a part of the passage, not the main concern.
Option C - incorrect, out of scope, since not discussed in the passage.

2. Which of the following would have been a likely source of creative inspiration for Tennessee Williams?

I. Williams's schizophrenic sister, who spent much of her life institutionalized
II. Williams's own battles with hypochondria and depression, as well as his addictions to liquor, sedatives, and barbiturates
III. Sidney Lanier, a southern poet who captured the pauses, rhythms, and repetitions that are distinctive of southern speech

a) I only
b) II only
c) III only
 d) I and II only
 e) I, II, and III

Correct Answer - D,
 Explanation - as mentioned in the passage: "Perhaps more than any other dramatist, Tennessee Williams inscribed his personal life---including his lifelong struggles with substance abuse---into his scripts." and "Williams's characters were inspired by members of his own family.", which makes I and II correct if they would have been true and III false, as nothing has been disccused about the other poets inspiring Tennessee.
Options A,B,C & E are then incorrect, as mentioned above.

3. The passage supports which of the following statements?

a) Tennessee Williams insisted that plot take precedence over dialogue.
b) The Glass Menagerie was the first autobiographical play that dealt with the complexities of the human condition.
c) Tennessee Williams considered himself to be a great playwright.
 d) The characters in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie find it difficult to confront the nature of their existence.
 e) The Glass Menagerie used plants and animals to create metaphors of the human condition.

Correct Answer - D,
 Explanation - as mentioned in the passage: "The Glass Menagerie, his first critical success, is a story of people too fragile to deal with the realities of their own lives.", which makes D correct.
Option A - incorrect as mentioned in the passage: "Prior to Menagerie, the Broadway play emphasized plot. But Williams pushed language to center stage".
Option B - incorrect as The Glass Menagerie was the first critical success of Tennessee, but we cannot say for sure, if it was the 1st autobiographical play that dealt with the complexities of the human condition.
Option C - incorrect, not disccused in the passage.
Option E - incorrect, as its clearly mentioned in the passage: "A rose, a bird, and a cat take on metaphorical significance in his other plays.", so we cannot deduce if he used plants and birds to create metaphors in the Glass Menagerie/

4. With which of the following statements regarding the impact that Tennessee Williams had on the American theater would the author most probably agree?

a) Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie generated an entirely new kind of play called the autobiographical drama.
 b) No other playwright has been able to achieve the linguistic innovation that Tennessee Williams achieved.
 c) Tennessee Williams's work re-defined the scope of the American theater.
d) Before The Glass Menagerie, symbols and imagery had never been used to develop multi-faceted characters.
e) Tennessee Williams's works are essentially concerned with the pain and confusion of being alive

Correct Answer - B,
 Explanation - as mentioned in the passage:" But Williams pushed language to center stage. His characters' lines are fluid, idiomatic, full of imagery, and rhythmically composed. His use of symbolism invests his characters with mythic dimension.", implies that Tennessee was able to achieve the linguistic innovation in his plays.
Option A - incorrect, as not disccused in the passage.
Option C, D - incorrect, as it could be but its not mentioned explicitly in the passage.
Option E - incorrect, out of scope.

AnirudhaS · Answer

Answers are in  bold .

1. The passage is primarily concerned with discussing
a) the significance of The Glass Menagerie on the development of Tennessee Williams's career
b) the influence of family on Tennessee Williams's dramas
c) the way American culture changed because of the revolutionary works of Tennessee Williams
 d) the distinctive aspects of Tennessee Williams's plays 
e) the effect The Glass Menagerie had on subsequent Broadway plays

Explanation of question 1 
A - Too narrow (only 2nd para is covered by this)
B - Too narrow (again the 1st and the 3rd para gets completely omitted if this is the main idea of the passage)
C - The main idea is not how the American culture changed. Also we do not know for certain if William's work can be considered as  revolutionary .
D - Yes this is a suitable choice. From the start the author talks about Williams and his plays. He then goes on saying what influenced him as a playwright. Finally he praises Williams of having significant effect on the play-scene of America during his time.
E - Too narrow again
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Which of the following would have been a likely source of creative inspiration for Tennessee Williams?
I. Williams's schizophrenic sister, who spent much of her life institutionalized
II. Williams's own battles with hypochondria and depression, as well as his addictions to liquor, sedatives, and barbiturates
III. Sidney Lanier, a southern poet who captured the pauses, rhythms, and repetitions that are distinctive of southern speech
a) I only
b) II only
c) III only
 d) I and II only 
e) I, II, and III

Explanation of question 2 
Lets go through all the statements 
I - Yes this goes well with  "Williams's characters were inspired by members of his own family." 
II - Yes again, this goes well with  "..inscribed his personal life---including his lifelong struggles with substance abuse---into his scripts." 
III - Its not mentioned that Williams was influenced by his contemporaries. 
Answer is D.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. The passage supports which of the following statements?
a) Tennessee Williams insisted that plot take precedence over dialogue.
b) The Glass Menagerie was the first autobiographical play that dealt with the complexities of the human condition.
c) Tennessee Williams considered himself to be a great playwright.
 d) The characters in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie find it difficult to confront the nature of their existence. 
e) The Glass Menagerie used plants and animals to create metaphors of the human condition.

Explanation of question 3 
A - Opposite answer. Williams pushed language (dialogue) over plot.
B - Again this is too extreme. Is it really the first? So no other play before Menagerie was - a) autobiographical, b) dealt with complexities of human condition? No 
C - Out of scope. In the passage it only says he is considered a celebrated playwright. That does not mean he considered himself to be the greatest.
D - Yes this is the closest choice, check what the passage says -  "is a story of people too fragile to deal with the realities of their own lives."  Realities of won lives is equivalent to nature of their existence. hence this is supported by the passage.
E - Look at what the passage says -  "A rose, a bird, and a cat take on metaphorical significance  in his other plays ."  So yes in his other plays, other than Menagerie, he uses plants and animals to create metaphors.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. With which of the following statements regarding the impact that Tennessee Williams had on the American theater would the author most probably agree?
a) Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie generated an entirely new kind of play called the autobiographical drama.
b) No other playwright has been able to achieve the linguistic innovation that Tennessee Williams achieved.
 c) Tennessee Williams's work re-defined the scope of the American theater. 
d) Before The Glass Menagerie, symbols and imagery had never been used to develop multi-faceted characters.
e) Tennessee Williams's works are essentially concerned with the pain and confusion of being alive

Explanation of question 4 
A - It was a model which other plays followed, but to say it generated a new kind of play is too strong to imply. 
B - No other? We do not know that for certain. 
C - Yes it can be reasonably inferred that the author would agree to this. A lot of examples in favour of this - 1. emphasis on language rather than plot, 2. use of symbolism, 3. use of taboo subjects.
D - Had never been - again this is too strong an implication. We do not like extreme words when it comes to these type of questions, unless it is actually stated in the passage.
E - Distorted meaning.

dreamscore800 · Answer

Here are my answers and explanation:

1. D (The passage overall is talking about the writing style, subjects and how the characters in the play are influenced by his personal life, family members).

2. D (The passage only mentions about his family and his sufferings).

3. D (As per details mentioned in second para 'The Glass Menagerie, his first critical success, is a story of people too fragile to deal with the realities of their own lives.')

4. C (Based on the details given in passage that his play The Glass Menagerie served as a model for many of the autobiographical dramas that followed it and his works also addressed issues such as sexuality and neurosis that had previously been taboo subjects.)

kris19 · Answer

1. The passage is primarily concerned with discussing
 passage analysis: first para talks about Williams and his style, second para talks about the inspiration to write his dramas, and third para talks again more about his style

a) the significance of The Glass Menagerie on the development of Tennessee Williams's career
 not correct: although The Glass Menegerie is Williams's first critical success, no discussion of how this success developed Williams's career is given

b) the influence of family on Tennessee Williams's dramas
 not correct: this is primarily the summary of second para

c) the way American culture changed because of the revolutionary works of Tennessee Williams
 not correct: although Williams pushed language to center stage and addressed issues such as sexuality and neurosis that had previously been taboo subjects, no discussion about how these works changed American culture is given

d) the distinctive aspects of Tennessee Williams's plays
  correct: from the passage analysis, we can say that this passage mainly focused on his style of writing dramas

e) the effect The Glass Menagerie had on subsequent Broadway plays
 not correct: passage says 'Prior to Menagerie, the Broadway play emphasized plot. But Williams pushed language to center stage', but this is one aspect of his style. This choice doesn't capture entire passage 
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Which of the following would have been a likely source of creative inspiration for Tennessee Williams?

I. Williams's schizophrenic sister, who spent much of her life institutionalized
  correct: passage says 'Williams's characters were inspired by members of his own family'

II. Williams's own battles with hypochondria and depression, as well as his addictions to liquor, sedatives, and barbiturates
  correct: passage says 'Williams inscribed his personal life---including his lifelong struggles with substance abuse---into his scripts'

III. Sidney Lanier, a southern poet who captured the pauses, rhythms, and repetitions that are distinctive of southern speech
 not correct: no discussion of how Williams was inspired by other poets is given

correct choice: I & II, D  
____________________________________________________________________________
3. The passage supports which of the following statements?

a) Tennessee Williams insisted that plot take precedence over dialogue.
 not correct: opposite, passage says 'Prior to Menagerie, the Broadway play emphasized plot'

b) The Glass Menagerie was the first autobiographical play that dealt with the complexities of the human condition.
 not correct: passage says Williams's first critical success was The Glass Menagerie, but no mention of this drama being the first autobiographical play

c) Tennessee Williams considered himself to be a great playwright.
 not correct: not mentioned about this

d) The characters in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie find it difficult to confront the nature of their existence.
  correct: passage says 'The Glass Menagerie is a story of people too fragile to deal with the realities of their own lives'

e) The Glass Menagerie used plants and animals to create metaphors of the human condition.
 not correct: no discussion of plants being used in his drama 
____________________________________________________________________________
4. With which of the following statements regarding the impact that Tennessee Williams had on the American theater would the author most probably agree?

a) Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie generated an entirely new kind of play called the autobiographical drama.
 not correct: passage says 'The Glass Menagerie served as a model for many of the autobiographical dramas that followed it', but from this statement, we can't infer that 'autobiographical dramas' were not there before the drama, 'The Glass Menagerie'

b) No other playwright has been able to achieve the linguistic innovation that Tennessee Williams achieved.
 not correct: no comparison between Williams and other playwrights about linguistic innovation is given

c) Tennessee Williams's work re-defined the scope of the American theater.
 not correct: scope of the American theatre is not discussed

d) Before The Glass Menagerie, symbols and imagery had never been used to develop multi-faceted characters.
 not correct: we can't infer this option from 'His characters' lines are fluid, idiomatic, full of imagery, and rhythmically composed. His use of symbolism invests his characters with mythic dimension'

e) Tennessee Williams's works are essentially concerned with the pain and confusion of being alive
  correct: passage says 'His twenty-five full-length plays contain characters trapped in a world that often neglects and even punishes those who dream of escaping their circumstances'

Gowtham91 · Answer

Q1.
Para1 answers "What William's plays portray ?"
para2 answers "What is the inspiration for William's plays and content of his plays" Cites example of Glass Menagrie. 
Para3 describes his style of plays.

A. This is mentioned but this not the primary purpose of the passage on the paragraph summaries mentioned above.
B. Same as A
C. This is not discussed in the passage.
 D. Correct  This option is inline with the paragraph summaries.
E. Same as A.

Q2.
Statement 1: True. Reference to para2 - "Williams's characters were inspired by members of his own family."
Statement2 : True. Reference to para2 - " Tennessee Williams inscribed his personal life---including his lifelong struggles with substance abuse---into his scripts."
Statement 3: This is nowhere mentioned. Hence false.

Correct answer Option D

3.
A. Wrong. Refer to para3 - " Williams pushed language to center stage"
 B. Correct . Refer to last sentence of para2 - "The Glass Menagerie served as a model for many of the autobiographical dramas that followed it."
C. This isn't mentioned in the passage.
D. "Nature of their existence" is different from "realities of their own life". Refernce to para2 - "The Glass Menagerie, his first critical success, is a story of people too fragile to deal with the realities of their own lives. "
E. Wrong. William used plants and animals only as metaphors. He did not use them physically, in his plays. reference to para2 - "A rose, a bird, and a cat take on metaphorical significance in his other plays."

4.
A. False. The author only says that the Glass Menagerie served as a model for next plays. "The Glass Menagerie served as a model for many of the autobiographical dramas that followed it."
B. False. The author only says - "Williams pushed language to center stage.". This is an extreme answer.
C. Flase. This is nowhere mentioned in the passage. 
D. False. Refernce to para2. "His use of symbolism invests his characters with mythic dimension.". William used symbols to portray mythic dimension, others might have used for something else. We cannot infer if it was used before William. 
 E. Correct  Can be inferred from Para1 - " Williams's works reveal the disturbing complexities of the human condition "

varshsrinivasan · Answer

Q1 Ans D
Q2 Ans D
Q3 Ans D
Q4 Ans B

Posted from my mobile device

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OAs of this RC are posted now

1. D
2. D
3. D
4. C

Best explanation here is by  AnirudhaS  and second one is by  bm2201

VerbalBot · Answer

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Mississippi-born writer Tennessee Williams, one of America's most

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