Published in 1952, Invisible Man featured a protagonist whose activiti

Question

Published in 1952,  Invisible Man  featured a
protagonist whose activities enabled the novel’s author,
Ralph Ellison, to explore and to blend themes
specifically tied to the history and plight of African
  (5)   Americans with themes, also explored by many
European writers with whose works Ellison was
familiar, about the fractured, evanescent quality of
individual identity and character. For this thematic
blend, Ellison received two related criticisms: that his
  (10)   allegiance to the concerns of the individual prevented
him from directing his art more toward the political
action that critics believed was demanded by his era’s
social and political state of affairs; and that his
indulging in European fictional modes lessened his
  (15)   contribution to the development of a distinctly African
American novelistic style.

Ellison found these criticisms to voice a common
demand, namely that writers should censor themselves
and sacrifice their individuality for supposedly more
  (20)   important political and cultural purposes. He replied
that it demeans a people and its artists to suggest that a
particular historical situation requires cultural
segregation in the arts. Such a view characterizes all
artists as incapable of seeing the world—with all its
  (25)   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.

Models for understanding Invisible Man that may
  (30)   be of more help than those employed by its critics can
be found in Ellison’s own love for and celebration of
jazz. Jazz has never closed itself off from other musical
forms, and some jazz musicians have been able to take
the European-influenced songs of U.S. theater and
  (35)   transform them into musical pieces that are unique
and personal but also expressive of African American
culture. In like manner, Ellison avoided the mere
recapitulation of existing literary forms as well as the
constraints of artistic isolation by using his work to
  (40)   explore and express the issues of identity and
character that had so interested European writers.

Further, jazz, featuring solos that, however daring,
remain rooted in the band’s rhythm section, provides a
rich model for understanding the relationship of artist
  (45)   to community and parallels the ways the protagonist’s
voice in Invisible Man is set within a wider communal
context. Ellison’s explorations in the novel, often in the
manner of loving caricature, of the ideas left him by
both European and African American predecessors are
  (50)   a form of homage to them and thus ameliorate the
sense of alienation he expresses through the
protagonist. And even though Invisible Man’s
protagonist lives alone in a basement, Ellison proves
that an individual whose unique voice is the result of
  (55)   the transmutation of a cultural inheritance can never
be completely cut off from the community.    1 
 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.
(B) The technique of blending the artistic concerns of two cultures could be an effective tool for social and political action.
(C) Due to the success of Invisible Man, Ellison was able to generate a renewed interest in and greater appreciation for jazz.
(D) The protagonist in Invisible Man illustrates the difficulty of combining the concerns of African Americans and concerns thought to be European in origin.
(E) Ellison’s literary technique, though effective, is unfortunately too esoteric and complex to generate a large audience.

2 
 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
(B) provided a historical record of the plight of African Americans
(C) contained a tribute to the political contributions of African American predecessors
(D) prompted a necessary and further separation of American literature from European literary style
(E) generated a large audience made up of individuals from many cultural backgrounds

3 
 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
(B) an obvious separation within the art community resulting from artists’ differing aesthetic principles
(C) the cultural isolation artists feel when they address issues of individual identity
(D) the cultural obstacles that affect an audience’s appreciation of art
(E) an expectation placed on an artist to uphold a specific cultural agenda in the creation of art

4 
 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
(B) affirm the importance of two artistic disciplines in relation to cultural concerns
(C) identify the source of the thematic content of one artist’s work
(D) celebrate one artistic discipline by viewing it from the perspective of an artist from another discipline
(E) introduce a context within which the work of one artist may be more fully illuminated.

5 
 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.
(D) It avoids political themes.
(E) It has influenced much of contemporary literature.

6 
 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.
(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 
 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
(B) demonstrate the value of using jazz as an illustration for further understanding the novels of a certain literary trend
(C) explain the relevance of a particular work and its protagonist to the political and social issues of the time
(D) defend the work of a certain novelist against criticism that it should have addressed political and social issues
(E) distinguish clearly between the value of art for art’s sake and art for purposes such as political agendas

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

(A) Did Ellison himself enjoy jazz?
(B) What themes in Invisible Man were influenced by themes prevalent in jazz?
(C) What was Ellison’s response to criticism concerning the thematic blend in Invisible Man?
(D) From what literary tradition did some of the ideas explored in Invisible Man come?
(E) What kind of music did some jazz musicians use in creating their works?

Source:   LSAT Official PrepTest 37   
 Difficulty Level:   700

RC Butler 2021  -  Practice Two RC Questions Everyday.   
Passage # 239 Date: 17-Jun-2021
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2021 .  Click here for Details

sting8 · Accepted Answer

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

Please consider giving kudos if this helps

HASTOWINGMAT · Answer

Sajjad1994

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

(A) Did Ellison himself enjoy jazz?
(B) What themes in Invisible Man were influenced by themes prevalent in jazz?:   Can't we treat individuality and uniqueness and openness as themes which were common in Jazz and the Invisible Man.  
(C) What was Ellison’s response to criticism concerning the thematic blend in Invisible Man?
(D) From what literary tradition did some of the ideas explored in Invisible Man come?
(E) What kind of music did some jazz musicians use in creating their works?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

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

Difficulty Level:   750

Explanation

Ellison had a  “love for…jazz” (line 31)  in answer to  (A) , and the words  “He replied”  in  line 20  confirm that the rest of  paragraph 2  answers  (C) ’s question.

The answer to  (D)  is  “from both European and African American traditions,”  and that’s supplied by  lines 39-41  and  47-49 . The same lines that confirmed  (C)  as correct in question 5,  lines 32-37 , address  (E)’s  query. But as we noted in discussing wrong choice  (E)  in that same question, the author uses jazz to illuminate Invisible Man but never asserts that jazz consciously influenced its author, so  (B)  is the question that goes unanswered.

Answer: B

Saasingh · Answer

Hi,

I think jazz is mentioned in the passage by the author just to create an analogy. The author says that if critics want to understand the essence of the novel, they can consider Jazz as an example. 
So in short, the novel "invisible man" is not "influenced" by jazz (this is a stretch and nowhere supported by the passage). Jazz is just used to draw a similarity by the author and to show that if we need to understand the essence of this novel, we can consider Jazz and it's relationship with the theme of individuality, community, etc..

regard,
saakhi

Oppenheimer1945 · Answer

Sajjad1994 
Pls summarize the whole passage . I can't understand anything

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Summary

Paragraph 1: 
"Invisible Man," published in 1952, explores themes of African American history and individual identity, blending them with ideas from European writers. Ellison faced criticism for prioritizing individual concerns over political action and for using European literary styles, seen as hindering the development of African American novelistic style.

Paragraph 2: 
Ellison rejects the criticism that writers should sacrifice their individuality for political or cultural purposes, arguing against cultural segregation in the arts. He believes artists have unique perspectives and audiences can view the world from different angles.

Paragraph 3: 
Ellison's love for jazz offers a model for understanding "Invisible Man." Jazz incorporates various influences, similar to Ellison's blending of themes, and expresses African American culture. He avoids imitation and artistic isolation by exploring identity and character issues.

Paragraph 4: 
Jazz's structure, with solos rooted in the band's rhythm section, mirrors the relationship between the artist and the community in "Invisible Man." Ellison's exploration of European and African American ideas pays homage to his predecessors, alleviating the protagonist's sense of alienation. Despite physical isolation, the protagonist remains connected to the community through their cultural heritage.

Vishal_Jain · Answer

Took 17.5 mins 7/8 correct 
Got the 2nd question wrong.

Not sure if the time i took was reasonable.

Legenddary1234 · Answer

My take on question 8

(A) Did Ellison himself enjoy jazz? - Yes, the passage mentions that Ellison had a love for and celebration of jazz (line 31).

(B) What themes in Invisible Man were influenced by themes prevalent in jazz? - The passage suggests that like jazz musicians transforming European-influenced songs into unique pieces that express African American culture, Ellison also explored themes of identity and character (lines 39-40).

(C) What was Ellison’s response to criticism concerning the thematic blend in Invisible Man? - Ellison defended his work by arguing against the idea of cultural segregation in the arts and asserting the importance of individual expression (lines 19-28).

(D) From what literary tradition did some of the ideas explored in Invisible Man come? - The passage mentions that Ellison explored themes that were also covered by many European writers (lines 6-7).

(E) What kind of music did some jazz musicians use in creating their works? - The passage mentions that some jazz musicians were able to take the European-influenced songs of U.S. theater and transform them into unique and personal musical pieces that also express African American culture (lines 33-35).

However, the passage does not provide an answer to:

(B) What themes in Invisible Man were influenced by themes prevalent in jazz? The passage suggests a parallel between Ellison's approach to literature and the approach of jazz musicians, but it doesn't specify which themes in Invisible Man were directly influenced by themes prevalent in jazz.

Published in 1952, Invisible Man featured a protagonist whose activiti

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Published in 1952, Invisible Man featured a protagonist whose activiti

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