Published in 1952, Invisible Man featured a protagonist whose activiti

1. It can be inferred from the passage that the author most clearly holds which one of the following views?

(A) The possibility of successfully blending different cultural forms is demonstrated by jazz’s ability to incorporate European influences. Author tells that jazz mixes and accepts other forms of music, similarly Ellison can blend European and African American literature style.
(B) The technique of blending the artistic concerns of two cultures could be an effective tool for social and political action. It is not mentioned whether Invisible Man or jazz were "effectively" used for political action.
(C) Due to the success of Invisible Man, Ellison was able to generate a renewed interest in and greater appreciation for jazz. Irrelevant
(D) The protagonist in Invisible Man illustrates the difficulty of combining the concerns of African Americans and concerns thought to be European in origin. Nowhere difficulty is mentioned, it is only mentioned that Ellison blended, critics have raised concerns which are not true according to the author
(E) Ellison’s literary technique, though effective, is unfortunately too esoteric and complex to generate a large audience. Irrelevant

2. Based on the passage, Ellison’s critics would most likely have responded favorably to Invisible Man if it had

(A) created a positive effect on the social conditions of the time Yes, critics wanted Ellison to focus on social and political affairs of the African Americans.
(B) provided a historical record of the plight of African Americans Irrelevant, critics wanted Ellison to focus on present social and political affairs
(C) contained a tribute to the political contributions of African American predecessors Same as B
(D) prompted a necessary and further separation of American literature from European literary style TRAP I fell into this. Critics focus on African American literature being distinct, not the general American literature
(E) generated a large audience made up of individuals from many cultural backgrounds Critics focus on unique African American literature being distinct, I don't think they would take multiple backgrounds positively

3. The expression “cultural segregation in the arts” (lines 22-23) most clearly refers to

(A) a general tendency within the arts whereby certain images and themes recur within the works of certain cultures. General arts are not concerned, focus is on Af-Am literature being different from European
(B) an obvious separation within the art community resulting from artists’ differing aesthetic principles. Irrelevant
(C) the cultural isolation artists feel when they address issues of individual identity. Whole book is about the book and its criticisms, artist's feeling is never mentioned
(D) the cultural obstacles that affect an audience’s appreciation of art Same as C
(E) an expectation placed on an artist to uphold a specific cultural agenda in the creation of art. Yes, Ellison wanted to blend European and Af-Am literature which he felt critics wanted to segregate

4. The primary purpose of the third paragraph is to

(A) summarize the thematic concerns of an artist in relation to other artists within the discipline. Artist to artist comparison is never made
(B) affirm the importance of two artistic disciplines in relation to cultural concerns. Importance of jazz or literature is not the concern, similarity of development is
(C) identify the source of the thematic content of one artist’s work. Sources are not concerned, similarity between jazz development and its example to justify blending of writing styles are discussed
(D) celebrate one artistic discipline by viewing it from the perspective of an artist from another discipline. Neither jazz views from literature perspective nor vice versa
(E) introduce a context within which the work of one artist may be more fully illuminated. POE

5. Which one of the following statements about jazz is made in the passage?

(A) It is not accessible to a wide audience.
(B) It is the most complex of modern musical forms.
(C) It embraces other forms of music. Specifically mentioned in para 3
(D) It avoids political themes.
(E) It has influenced much of contemporary literature.

6. It can be inferred from the passage that Ellison most clearly holds which one of the following views regarding an audience’s relationship to works of art?

(A) Audiences respond more favorably to art that has no political content.
(B) Groundless criticism of an artist’s work can hinder an audience’s reception of the work.
(C) Audiences have the capacity for empathy required to appreciate unique and expressive art.
Refer to the line from Para 1
Such a view characterizes all artists as incapable of seeing the world—with all its subtleties and complications—in unique yet expressive ways, and it makes the narrow assumption that audiences are capable of viewing the world only from their own perspectives.
Thus, the tone of the author specifies, he is against this assumption of audiences being naïve.
(D) The most conscientious members of any audience are those who are aware of the specific techniques employed by the artist.
(E) Most audience members are bound by their cultural upbringing to view art from that cultural perspective.

7. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) make a case that a certain novelist is one of the most important novelists of the twentieth century. Focus is on the book not the writer
(B) demonstrate the value of using jazz as an illustration for further understanding the novels of a certain literary trend Jazz is presented as an example, not the primary purpose
(C) explain the relevance of a particular work and its protagonist to the political and social issues of the time Focus is on the writing style of the book, not its relevance
(D) defend the work of a certain novelist against criticism that it should have addressed political and social issues Yes, the focus is on the rebuttal of criticisms of the writing style
(E) distinguish clearly between the value of art for art’s sake and art for purposes such as political agendas Irrelevant

8. The passage provides information to answer each of the following questions EXCEPT:

(A) Did Ellison himself enjoy jazz? Mentioned in para 3
(B) What themes in Invisible Man were influenced by themes prevalent in jazz? Similarity between jazz and the book are talked about, not relation/influence between them
(C) What was Ellison’s response to criticism concerning the thematic blend in Invisible Man? Author rebuts both criticisms
(D) From what literary tradition did some of the ideas explored in Invisible Man come? The book focused on individuality, that's mentioned many times
(E) What kind of music did some jazz musicians use in creating their works? Mentioned, that they embraced different music varieties

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