There can be no doubt that the emergence of the Negro writer in the post-war period stemmed, in part, from the fact that he was inclined to exploit the opportunity to write about himself. It was more than that, however. The movement that has variously been called the “Harlem Renaissance,” the “Black Renaissance,” and the “New Negro Movement” was essentially a part of the growing interest of American literary circles in the immediate and pressing social and economic problems. This growing interest coincided with two developments in Negro life that fostered the growth of the New Negro Movement. These two factors, the keener realization of injustice and the improvement of the capacity for expression, produced a crop of Negro writers who constituted the “Harlem Renaissance.”
The literature of the Harlem Renaissance was, for the most part, the work of a raceconscious group. Through poetry, prose, and song, the writers cried out against social and economic wrongs. They protested against segregation and lynching. They demanded higher wages, shorter hours, and better conditions of work. They stood for full social equality and first-class citizenship. The new vision of social and economic freedom that they had did not force them to embrace the several foreign ideologies that sought to sink their roots in some American groups during the period.
The writers of the Harlem Renaissance, bitter and cynical as some of them were, gave little attention to the propaganda of the socialists and communists. The editors of the Messenger ventured the opinion that the New Negro was the “product of the same worldwide forces that have brought into being the great liberal and radical movements that are now seizing the reins of power in all the civilized countries of the world.” Such forces may have produced the New Negro, but the more articulate of the group did not resort to advocating the type of political action that would have subverted American constitutional government. Indeed, the writers of the Harlem Renaissance were not so much revolting against the system as they were protesting its inefficient operation. In this approach they proved as characteristically American as any writers of the period.
1. Which of the following is implied by the statement that the writers of the Harlem Renaissance “were not so much revolting against the system as they were protesting its inefficient operation” (Highlighted)?A. Black writers played only a minor part in protesting the injustices of the period.
B. Left to itself, the system was certain to function efficiently.
C. Black writers in general were not opposed to the system as such.
D. In order for the system to operate efficiently, blacks must seize the reins of power in America.
E. Black writers were too caught up in aesthetic questions to identify the true nature of the conflict.
2. With which of the following statements regarding the writers of the Harlem Renaissance would the author most likely agree?A. They needed to increase their commitment to international solidarity.
B. Their awareness of oppression caused them to reject American society.
C. They transformed their increasing social and political consciousness into art.
D. Their art suffered from their overinvolvement in political crusades.
E. Their detachment from their subject matter lessened the impact of their work.
3. The information in the passage suggests that the author is most likelyA. a historian concerned with presenting socially conscious black writers of the period as loyal Americans
B. a literary critic who questions the conclusions of historians about the Harlem Renaissance
C. an educator involved in fostering creating writing programs for minority youths
D. a black writer of fiction bent on discovering new facts about his literary roots
E. a researcher with questions about the validity of his sources
4. Which of the following statements best describes the organization of highlighted lines of the passage (“The writers . . . constitutional government”)?A. The author cites an authority supporting a previous statement and then qualifies the original statement to clarify its implications.
B. The author makes a point, quotes an observation apparently contradicting that point, and then resolves the inconsistency by limiting the application of his original statement.
C. The author makes a negative comment and then modifies it by rephrasing his original comment to eliminate its negative connotations.
D. The author summarizes an argument, quotes an observation in support of that argument, and then advances an alternative hypothesis to explain potential contradictions in that argument.
E. The author states a thesis, quotes a statement relevant to that thesis, and then presents two cases, both of which corroborate the point of the original statement.
5. The passage supplies information for answering which of the following questions?A. What factors led to the stylistic improvement in the literary work of black writers in the post-war period?
B. Who were the leading exponents of protest literature during the Harlem Renaissance?
C. Why were the writers of the Harlem Renaissance in rebellion against foreign ideological systems?
D. How did black writers in the post-war period define the literary tradition to which they belonged?
E. With what specific socioeconomic causes did the black writers of the post-war period associate themselves?
Nov 20
23 Jun 2025, 09:09
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