The African American writer and social critic James Baldwin grew up as

Question

The African American writer and social critic James Baldwin grew up as an outsider both to the language and culture of power, and yet achieved a balance between self-expression and the language of power. In the 1930’s, Hollywood movies portrayed an optimistic, capitalist, white America that dealt with white issues and employed white actors. As a child, Baldwin felt acutely separated from the culture of power. In “Congo Square,” Baldwin opens his essay with an important idea: “A child is far too self-centered to relate to any dilemma which does not, somehow, relate to him.” Watching the films of the dominant culture, Baldwin attempted to relate the information to his own life, connecting with it however he could. Rather than blindly accept the storylines in the movies, when Baldwin saw a staircase in A Tale of Two Cities, he thought, “I knew about staircases.”

At the same time, Baldwin distrusted the culture of power: “The civilized … do not intend to change the status quo … these people are not to be taken seriously when they speak of the ‘sanctity’ of human life, or the ‘conscience’ of the civilized world.”

At the same time, Baldwin distrusted the culture of power: “The civilized … do not intend to change the status quo … these people are not to be taken seriously when they speak of the ‘sanctity’ of human life, or the ‘conscience’ of the civilized world.”    1 
 1. It can be inferred from the passage that Baldwin would agree with which of the following about a 1930’s film that dealt only with African American issues and employed only African American actors?

I. It would be significantly better than most Hollywood movies from the 1930’s.
II. It would suffer from the same kind of problems as the more typical 1930’s Hollywood movies.
III. It would be less likely than most other 1930’s Hollywood movies to reinforce the predominant culture.

A. I only
B. II only
C. III only
D. I and II only
E. I and III only

2 
 2. Baldwin’s quotation from “Congo Square” is used primarily in order to illuminate what aspect of 1930’s America?

(A) the culture of power that Baldwin mistrusted
(B) the fact that Hollywood movies were primarily optimistic and centered on white culture
(C) the idea that America was hungry for a writer such as Baldwin, because its films focused only on white America
(D) the alienating effect of films of the era on black children
(E) the concept that children are incapable of deriving any educational value from films they can’t relate to

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alax123 · Answer

can someone please explain how the correct options were arrived at? i got both wrong, opted B for Q1 and B for Q2... thanks in advance...

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. It can be inferred from the passage that Baldwin would agree with which of the following about a 1930’s film that dealt only with African American issues and employed only African American actors?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

The first statement is wrong because, while Baldwin takes issue with the average 1930’s Hollywood movie for failing to represent anything other than the dominant culture, that doesn’t mean he would find an individual film focused on African American culture any better. It could be bad for other reasons. The second statement is wrong because even though a film that focused only on African American issues could be just as limited as one that failed to focus on such issues, there is a significant difference: one would be reinforcing the dominant culture, while the other would be presenting an alternative culture. Baldwin would thus be unlikely to find them equally problematic. The third statement is correct because the predominant culture in the 1930’s was white, so the film in question would be less likely to reinforce that culture, given that it would feature only African American issues and actors.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. Baldwin’s quotation from “Congo Square” is used primarily in order to illuminate what aspect of 1930’s America?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

Choice (A)  is wrong because the quotation has to do with children and their ability to relate to a given work of art, rather than the culture of power.

(B)  is wrong because the quote does not discuss white culture specifically.

(C)  is wrong because the passage never says that America was hungry for a writer like Baldwin — make sure not to insert your own ideas or outside knowledge.

(D)  is correct because even though the quote doesn’t explicitly mention black children, the point is that children in general can’t relate to a dilemma that doesn’t relate to them. Because the passage tells you that Hollywood films of the era dealt with  white issues and employed white actors , you know that they would not have related to black children, who would have thus been alienated from mainstream culture.

(E)  is wrong because the passage doesn’t say that children couldn’t derive any educational value from films they can’t relate to, only that they would feel alienated because their lives would not be represented in the films.

Answer: D

VerbalBot · Answer

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The African American writer and social critic James Baldwin grew up as

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The African American writer and social critic James Baldwin grew up as

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