One of the most prominent characteristics of the literature by United

Question

One of the most prominent characteristics of the
literature by United States citizens of Mexican
descent is that it is frequently written in a
combination of English and Spanish. By not limiting
  (5)   itself to one language, such writing resonates with its
authors’ bicultural experiences. Their work is largely
Mexican in its sensibility, its traditions, and its myths,
but its immediate geographical setting is the United
States. And though Mexican American literature is
  (10)   solidly grounded in Mexican culture, it distinguishes
itself from Mexican literature in its content and
concerns.

Many Mexican Americans are only a generation
away from the mostly agrarian culture of their
  (15)   ancestors, and the work of most Mexican American
writers shows evidence of heavy influence from this
culture. Their novels are often simple in structure,
and some of the common themes in these novels
include the struggle to overcome the agricultural
  (20)   adversity that caused their families to emigrate, and a
feeling of being distanced from the traditions of rural
Mexico and yet striving to hold on to them. These
themes coexist with ever-present images of the land,
which symbolizes the values of the characters’
  (25)   culture, such as the spiritual and religious benefits of
working the land.

Much of Mexican writing, on the other hand, has
been criticized for being dominated by the prominent
literary establishment concentrated in Mexico City.
  (30)   Literary reputation and success in Mexico—including
the attainment of publicly sponsored positions in the
arts—are often bestowed or denied by this literary
establishment. Moreover, the work of Mexican writers
is often longer in form and marked by greater
  (35)   cosmopolitanism and interest in theoretical ideas and
arguments than is Mexican American writing. Not
surprisingly, the Mexican literary community views
Mexican American literature as a variety of
“regional” writing. But the apparent simplicity of
  (40)   what this community sees as parochial concerns
belies the thematic richness of Mexican American
writing.

The work of Mexican American writers can be
richly textured in its complex mixture of concerns;
  (45)   among other things, their work is distinguished by an
overarching concern with the complexities of cultural
transition. Many Mexican American writers assert that
rather than working to be absorbed into U.S. society,
they are engaged in the process of creating a new
  (50)   identity. Physically distanced from Mexico and yet
convinced of its importance, these writers depict a
new reality by creating “in-between” characters.
These characters inhabit a social and cultural milieu
which is neither that of Mexico nor that of the U.S.
  (55)   And while this new setting reflects the contemporary
social realities of both Mexico and the U.S., it also
derives a great deal of emotional power from an
evocation of a romanticized memory of Mexico.
What results is an intermediate cultural borderland in
  (60)   which nostalgia and reality are combined in the
service of forging a new identity.    1 
 1. Which one of the following most accurately states the main point of the passage?

(A) Mexican American literature is characterized by a strong sense of transition, which is due to its writers’ physical distance from Mexico and their clear vision of the future of Mexican culture.
(B) Unlike Mexican writing, which is largely tied to an urban literary establishment, Mexican American writing is a movement that attempts through its works to develop a literary voice for agrarian workers.
(C) The work of Mexican American writers reflects Mexican Americans’ bicultural experiences, both in its close links with the culture of rural Mexico and in its striving to develop a new identity out of elements of Mexican culture and U.S. culture.
(D) Mexican American literature, although unique in its content and concerns as well as in its stylistic innovations, has not yet achieved the prominence and reputation of Mexican literature.
(E) Many Mexican Americans are only a generation away from the culture of their ancestors and because of this, Mexican American literature is distinguished by the presence of powerful spiritual images, which are an organic part of the Mexican American agrarian culture.

2 
 2. It can most reasonably be inferred from the passage that the author would agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) While Mexican American writers are in the process of shaping their body of literature, one of their goals is to create a literary establishment in the U.S. essentially like the one concentrated in Mexico City.
(B) The use of a mixture of both Spanish and English in current Mexican American literature is evidence of a brief transitional period.
(C) The use of a romanticized Mexico in Mexican American literature is offensive to writers of the literary establishment of Mexico City, who find the images to be caricatures of their culture.
(D) Mexican American literature is noteworthy more for its thematic content than for its narrative structure.
(E) Mexican American writers are concerned that the importance of Mexico, currently central to their culture, will be diminished, and that Mexican American literature will be impoverished as a result.

3 
 3. It can most reasonably be inferred from the passage that many Mexican American writers tend to value which one of the following?

(A) stylistic innovations that distinguish their work from that of Mexican writers
(B) recognition from a U.S. literary establishment that is significantly different from that of Mexico
(C) an identity that resists absorption by U.S. culture
(D) critical acceptance of bilingual forms of literary expression
(E) the ability to express in their literature a more complex fabric of concerns than is found in most U.S. literature

4 
 4. To which one of the following questions does the passage most clearly provide an answer?

(A) What is an example of a specific literary work by a Mexican American writer?
(B) For what reason are many Mexican American writings concerned with agrarian themes or topics?
(C) What is the prevailing view of Mexican American literature among critics in the United States?
(D) How has the literature of the United States influenced Mexican American writers?
(E) Are the works of Mexican American writers written more in Spanish or in English?

5 
 5. It can most reasonably be inferred from the passage that the author holds which one of the following views?

(A) Mexican American literature advocates an agrarian way of life as a remedy for the alienation of modern culture.
(B) The Mexican American “in-between” character is an instance of a type found in the literature of immigrant groups in general.
(C) A predominant strength of Mexican American writers is that they are not tied to a major literary establishment and so are free to experiment in a way many Mexican writers are not.
(D) Writers of “regional” literature find it more difficult to attain reputation and success in Mexico than writers whose work is concerned with more urban themes.
(E) History has an importance in Mexican American culture that it does not have in Mexican culture because Mexican Americans have attached greater importance to their ancestry.

Sajjad1994 · Accepted Answer

Hi prashantppp

In  lines 36-40 , the author notes that the Mexican literary establishment views Mexican American writing as  “regional,”  suggesting that such writing is not valued by the Mexican literary establishment. Earlier in that same paragraph, the author notes that Mexican writing tends to have an urban focus. These two pieces of evidence support answer  choice (D)  as a good inference.

XCDY · Answer

For Q5.
Is there any reference from line 13-42 to arrive at Answer Option D?
Couldn't get how reputation ans success are tied with urban themes.

RohiniK · Answer

2. It can most reasonably be inferred from the passage that the author would agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) While Mexican American writers are in the process of shaping their body of literature, one of their goals is to create a literary establishment in the U.S. essentially like the one concentrated in Mexico City.  -  It is mentioned that Mexican American Writers are asserting / striving for a new identity and not for literay establishment (line 47-50 - Many Mexican American writers assert that rather than working to be absorbed into U.S. society, they are engaged in the process of creating a new identity.)  -  incorrect choice

( B)The use of a mixture of both Spanish and English in current Mexican American literature is evidence of a brief transitional period.  -  no mention of transitional period   - Incorrect choice

( C) The use of a romanticized Mexico in Mexican American literature is offensive to writers of the literary establishment of Mexico City, who find the images to be caricatures of their culture.  -  The passage is actually appreciating the Mexican American Literature for it's power to evoke the romantic memories about Mexico (line 56-59)  -  Opposite choice and hence incorrect

(D) Mexican American literature is noteworthy more for its thematic content than for its narrative structure.   Correct Choice (line 41-42)

(E) Mexican American writers are concerned that the importance of Mexico, currently central to their culture, will be diminished, and that Mexican American literature will be impoverished as a result.  -  out of scope

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

3. It can most reasonably be inferred from the passage that many Mexican American writers tend to value which one of the following?

Explanation

“Many Mexican American writers”  is a phrase we see in  line 47.  At that point in the passage, the author notes that these writers assert that they are not trying to assimilate into American society. That’s  (C).

(A), (B), (D)  and  (E)  are outside the scope of the passage. The author never compares Mexican American writing to Mexican writing in terms of stylistic innovation. The author never indicates how Mexican American writers feel about any literary establishment, whether Mexican or American. The author never suggests that Mexican American writing lacks in critical acceptance due to its authors’ use of both English and Spanish. The author never compares Mexican American literature to American literature.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. To which one of the following questions does the passage most clearly provide an answer?

Explanation

Here we have another question that forces us to consider each answer choice in turn, without offering us an opportunity to predict the right answer. Because we are looking for something specifically mentioned in the passage, our understanding of the scope of the passage and our Roadmap will be very helpful in getting us to the right answer choice quickly. Wrong answer choices will be outside the scope of the passage.

(A)  The author never mentions any specific work of Mexican American literature. Bad answer.

(B) Paragraph 2  is all about the reasons why much Mexican American literature reflects agrarian themes or topics. This is our good answer.

For the record:

(C) ' The passage notes that the Mexican literary establishment dismisses Mexican American literature as merely  “regional,”  but makes no mention of how American critics view the literature.

(D)  The passage does not discuss any possible influence U.S. literature may have had on Mexican American writers.

(E)  While the author tells us that Mexican American writers tend to write in both English and Spanish, we are not told which language predominates.

Answer: B

mhs98x · Answer

2. It can most reasonably be inferred from the passage that the author would agree with which one of the following statements?
 "But the apparent simplicity of
(40) what this community sees as parochial concerns
belies the  thematic richness of Mexican American  
writing."

thus  D

3. It can most reasonably be inferred from the passage that many Mexican American writers tend to value which one of the following?
any Mexican American writers assert that
  rather than working to be absorbed into U.S. society,
they are engaged in the process of creating a new  
(50) identity.

Thus  C

4. To which one of the following questions does the passage most clearly provide an answer?
Many Mexican Americans are only a generation
away from the mostly agrarian culture of their
(15) ancestors, and the work of most Mexican American
writers  shows evidence of  heavy influence from this
culture.

Thus  B

5. It can most reasonably be inferred from the passage that the author holds which one of the following views?
Literary reputation and success in Mexico—including
the attainment of publicly sponsored positions in the
arts—are  often bestowed or denied by  this literary
establishment. Moreover, the work of Mexican writers
is often longer in form and marked by greater
(35)  cosmopolitanism  and interest in theoretical ideas and
arguments than is Mexican American writing.

Thus  D  ->"urban" =="cosmopolitan"

Genivs1 · Answer

For Question 5.

A -> Mexican American literature advocates an agrarian way of life as a remedy for the alienation of modern culture. 
Incorrect because there is no mention of a remedy for the alienation of modern culture in the passage. This is a stretch.

B -> The Mexican American “in-between” character is an instance of a type found in the literature of immigrant groups in general. 
Incorrect because there is no mention of the literature of other immigrant groups, this is also not the focus of this passage. While it could be true, there is no direct evidence in the passage.

C -> A predominant strength of Mexican American writers is that they are not tied to a major literary establishment and so are free to experiment in a way many Mexican writers are not. 
Incorrect because this is not necessarily true.. Mexican writers could still be experiment regardless of the "dominance" of the literary establishment. We're only told that the establishment bestows some form of prestige and that Mexican writers focus more on cosmopolitanism and theoretical ideas and arguments. For all we know, Mexican writers could be able to experiment more than Mexican American writers, as there is no concrete proof that this is or is not the case.

D -> Writers of “regional” literature find it more difficult to attain reputation and success in Mexico than writers whose work is concerned with more urban themes. 
Correct! We know from the text that Regional literature -- Which does not deal with cosmopolitanism and theoretical ideas and arguments (as is the case with most Mexican writers) is not consistent with the work of Mexican writers and we are told that it is viewed as simple by the Mexican literary community. It is likely that if the Mexican literary community has these views on Mexican American writing and prefer cosmopolitanism and theoretical ideas and arguments, AND (as we are told) the literary establishment (or community) is a dominating force in Mexico, this answer is consistent with the passage.

E -> History has an importance in Mexican American culture that it does not have in Mexican culture because Mexican Americans have attached greater importance to their ancestry. 
Incorrect because this is all a stretch. We are not told of how much or how little importance history has on Mexican American culture vs Mexican culture. Just because there is no mention of how ancestry/history influence Mexican literature does not mean we can assume that it has less importance that in Mexican American literature.

VerbalBot · Answer

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One of the most prominent characteristics of the literature by United

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