The great French writer, Montaigne, deserves to be regarded as a class

The great French writer, Montaigne, deserves to be regarded as a classic, not only in the land of his birth, but in all countries and in all literature. His Essays, which are at once the most celebrated and the most permanent of his productions, form a magazine out of which such minds as those of Bacon and Shakespeare did not disdain to help themselves; and, indeed, as Hallam observes, the Frenchman’s literary importance largely results from the share which his mind had in influencing other minds, coeval and subsequent.

But, at the same time, estimating the value and rank of the essayist, we are not to leave out of the account the drawbacks and the circumstances of the period: the imperfect state of education, the comparative scarcity of books, and the limited opportunities of intellectual intercourse. Montaigne freely borrowed of others, and he has found men willing to borrow of him as freely. We need not wonder at the reputation which he with seeming facility achieved. He was, without being aware of it, the leader of a new school in letters and morals.

His book was different from all others which were at that date in the world. It diverted the ancient currents of thought into new channels. It told its readers, with unexampled frankness, what its writer’s opinion was about men and things, and threw what must have been a strange kind of new light on many matters but darkly understood. Above all, the essayist uncased himself, and made his intellectual and physical organism public property. He took the world into his confidence on all subjects. His essays were a sort of literary anatomy, where we get a diagnosis of the writer’s mind, made by himself at different levels and under a large variety of operating influences.

1. What is the main purpose of the author in writing the passage?

(A) To advocate that Montaigne’s works deserve to be considered a classic in all countries of the world.
(B) To conclude that Montaigne’s essays provide an elaborate idea of his mind.
(C) To discuss various stand-out aspects of Montaigne’s writings.
(D) To analyze the impact of Montaigne’s mind on his writings.
(E) To discuss how Montaigne’s essays were superior to his other literary works.

2. From the information in the passage, what can be inferred about Shakespeare?

(A) Shakespeare considered Montaigne with disdain.
(B) Shakespeare’s works played a significant role in shaping Montaigne’s mind and thought process.
(C) Shakespeare picked up ideas from Montaigne’s works.
(D) Bacon and Shakespeare’s works had a lot in common.
(E) Shakespeare was not a French writer.

3. From the information in the third paragraph, which of the following can be inferred about Montaigne’s books?

(A) They were an amalgamation of the thought processes of several prominent writers of his time
(B) They were primarily concerned with stating Montaigne’s point of view about the world around him
(C) They were, to a large extent, impersonal and objective in nature
(D) They were the most permanent and celebrated of all his works
(E) They helped unravel many mysteries of Montaigne’s times