Aida Overton Walker (1880-1914), one of the most widely acclaimed

Question

Aida Overton Walker (1880–1914), one of the most widely acclaimed African American performers of the early twentieth century, was known largely for popularizing a dance form known as the cakewalk through her choreographing, performance, and teaching of the dance. The cakewalk was originally developed prior to the United States Civil War by African Americans, for whom dance was a means of maintaining cultural links within a slave society. It was based on traditional West African ceremonial dances, and like many other African American dances, it retained features characteristic of African dance forms, such as gliding steps and an emphasis on improvisation.

To this African-derived foundation, the cakewalk added certain elements from European dances: where African dances feature flexible body postures, large groups and separate-sex dancing, the cakewalk developed into a high-kicking walk performed by a procession of couples. Ironically, while these modifications later enabled the cakewalk to appeal to European Americans and become one of the first cultural forms to cross the racial divide in North America, they were originally introduced with satiric intent. Slaves performed the grandiloquent walks in order to parody the processional dances performed at slave owners’ balls and, in general, the self-important manners of slave owners. To add a further irony, by the end of the nineteenth century, the cakewalk was itself being parodied by European American stage performers, and these parodies in turn helped shape subsequent versions of the cakewalk.

While this complex evolution meant that the cakewalk was not a simple cultural phenomenon— one scholar has characterized this layering of parody upon parody with the phrase “mimetic vertigo”—it is in fact, what enabled the dance to attract its wide audience. In the cultural and socioeconomic flux of the turn-of-the-century United States, where industrialization, urbanization, mass immigration, and rapid social mobility all reshaped the cultural landscape, an art form had to be capable of being many things to many people in order to appeal to a large audience.

Walker’s remarkable success at popularizing the cakewalk across otherwise relatively rigid racial boundaries rested on her ability to address within her interpretation of it the varying and sometimes conflicting demands placed on the dance. Middle- class African Americans, for example, often denounced the cakewalk as disreputable, a complaint reinforced by the parodies circulating at the time. Walker won over this audience by refining the cakewalk and emphasizing its fundamental grace. Meanwhile, because middle- and upper-class European Americans often felt threatened by the tremendous cultural flux around them, they prized what they regarded as authentic art forms as bastions of stability; much of Walker’s success with this audience derived from her distillation of what was widely acclaimed as the most authentic cakewalk. Finally, Walker was able to gain the admiration of many newly rich industrialists and financiers, who found in the grand flourishes of her version of the cakewalk a fitting vehicle for celebrating their newfound social rank.   1 
 1. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

A. Walker, who was especially well known for her success in choreographing, performing, and teaching the cakewalk, was one of the most widely recognized African American performers of the early twentieth century.
B. In spite of the disparate influences that shaped the cakewalk, Walker was able to give the dance broad appeal because she distilled what was regarded as the most authentic version in an era that valued authenticity highly.
C. Walker popularized the cakewalk by capitalizing on the complex cultural mix that had developed from the dance’s original blend of satire and cultural preservation, together with the effects of later parodies.
D. Whereas other versions of the cakewalk circulating at the beginning of the twentieth century were primarily parodic in nature, the version popularized by Walker combined both satire and cultural preservation.
E. Because Walker was able to recognize and preserve the characteristics of the cakewalk as African Americans originally performed it, it became the first popular art form to cross the racial divide in the United States.

2 
 2. The passage asserts which one of the following about the cakewalk?

A. It was largely unknown outside African American culture until Walker popularized it.
B. It was mainly a folk dance, and Walker became one of only a handful of people to perform it professionally.
C. Its performance as parody became uncommon as a result of Walker’s popularization of its authentic form.
D. Its West African origins became commonly known as a result of Walker’s work.
E. It was one of the first cultural forms to cross racial lines in the United States.

3 
 3. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

A. Because of the broad appeal of humour, satiric art forms are often among the first to cross racial or cultural divisions.
B. The interactions between African American and European American cultural forms often result in what is appropriately characterized as “mimetic vertigo.”
C. Middle-class European Americans who valued the cakewalk’s authenticity subsequently came to admire other African American dances for the same reason.
D. Because of the influence of African dance forms, some popular dances that later emerged in the United States featured separate-sex dancing.
E. Some of Walker’s admirers were attracted to her version of the cakewalk as a means for bolstering their social identities.

4 
 4. The author describes the socioeconomic flux of the turn-of-the-century United States in the third paragraph primarily in order to

A. argue that the cakewalk could have become popular only in such complex social circumstances 
B. detail the social context that prompted performers of the cakewalk to fuse African and European dance forms 
C. identify the target of the overlapping parodic layers that characterized the cakewalk 
D. indicate why a particular cultural environment was especially favorable for the success of the cakewalk
E. explain why European American parodies of the cakewalk were able to reach wide audiences

5 
 5. Which one of the following is most analogous to the author's account in the second paragraph of how the cakewalk came to appeal to European Americans?

A. Satirical versions of popular music songs are frequently more popular than the songs they parody. 
B. A style of popular music grows in popularity among young listeners because it parodies the musical styles admired by older listeners.
C. A style of music becomes admired among popular music's audience in part because of elements that were introduced in order to parody popular music.
D. A once popular style of music wins back its audience by incorporating elements of the style of music that is currently most popular.
E. After popular music begins to appropriate elements of a traditional style of music, interest in that traditional music increases.

6 
 6. The passage most strongly suggests that the author would be likely to agree with which one of the following statements about Walker's significance in the history of the cakewalk?

A. Walker broadened the cakewalk's appeal by highlighting elements that were already present in the dance.
B. Walker's version of the cakewalk appealed to larger audiences than previous versions did because she accentuated its satiric dimension.
C. Walker popularized the cakewalk by choreographing various alternative interpretations of it, each tailored to the interests of a different cultural group.
D. Walker added a "mimetic vertigo" to the cakewalk by inserting imitations of other performers' cakewalking into her dance routines.
E. Walker revitalized the cakewalk by disentangling its complex admixture of African and European elements

7 
 7. The passage provides sufficient information to answer which one of the following questions?

A. What were some of the attributes of African dance forms that were preserved in the cakewalk?
B. Who was the first performer to dance the cakewalk professionally?
C. What is an aspect of the cakewalk that was preserved in other North American dance forms?
D. What features were added to the original cakewalk by the stage parodies circulating at the end of the nineteenth century?
E. For about how many years into the twentieth century did the cakewalk remain widely popular?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. The author describes the socioeconomic flux of the turn-of-the-century United States in the third paragraph primarily in order to

Explanation

A quick review of  Paragraph 3  confirms that the author was pointing to a phenomenon that aided the cakewalk in gaining broader appeal and popularity. Inferably, the complex evolution of the cakewalk redefined it to a popular dance form rather than a passing fad. Be careful, though; while it may have been a factor, it may not necessarily have been the only factor.  (D)  is the clear winner and matches this paraphrase of  Paragraph 3  very nicely.

(A)  A vertical scan of the opening verbs in each answer choice allows us to eliminate  (A)  for its tone. The author is not arguing that this was the only way the cakewalk could have become popular; we don’t have enough information to definitively say that is so.

(B)  is too broad. The passage itself, including  Paragraph 3 , is only concerned with the cakewalk dance form. In addition, the only mention of other dance forms takes place in  Paragraph 1  and is outside the scope of this question.

(C) Paragraph 2  states that the purpose of the parodies was primarily satiric intent. Whether it contributed to the socioeconomic flux is different from whether it was the intended target. The author does not provide us with enough information in  Paragraph 3  to support this answer.

(E)  is not in line with the purpose of  Paragraph 3 . While Paragraph 2 mentions that parodies helped to shape subsequent versions of the cakewalk, the author does not go so far as to claim that the socioeconomic flux was the reason why the cakewalk was able to reach wide audiences.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

6. The passage most strongly suggests that the author would be likely to agree with which one of the following statements about Walker's significance in the history of the cakewalk?

Explanation

Upon what basis does the author credit Walker with popularizing the cakewalk? According to  Paragraph 4  (and woven throughout the passage), Walker’s  “remarkable”  success at gaining a broad audience for the cakewalk rested on her ability to reshape her interpretation based on varying demands promulgated by different social groups. The author then goes on to point out an example in which Walker emphasized the fundamental grace of the cakewalk for African Americans. In addition, the author notes how her translation resonated with European Americans because of its high degree of authenticity. Finally, her version also appealed to the newly rich because of its grand flourishes. This point is mimicked in answer  choice (A). (B)  and  (E)  both give differing reasons for why the author credits Walker with popularizing the cakewalk.

(C)  and  (D)  misstate Walker’s role in popularizing the cakewalk. In  (C) , the answer credits Walker with multiple interpretations when in fact the author only credits Walker with one. In  (D) , Walker is credited with adding  “mimetic vertigo”  when in fact it evolved from the different parodic layerings of African Americans and European Americans.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

Explanation

The author wrote the passage to show how Walker popularized the cakewalk during the early 20th century by emphasizing the cultural developments and changes of the cakewalk dance form throughout its history. Walker was able to take all these different influences and develop the cakewalk in such a way that it had broad appeal. That’s what answer  choice (C)  says.

(A)  is a Faulty Use of Detail. The entirety of the passage is not devoted to Walker’s success as an acclaimed African American performer, though this fact is mentioned in the first lines of  Paragraph 1 . Rather, the author chooses to solely focus on Walker’s credit for popularizing the cakewalk.

(B)  is a Faulty Use of Detail. While Walker certainly succeeded in giving the dance broad appeal, it was only her success with the upper-class European Americans that stemmed from her “distillation of what was widely acclaimed as the most authentic cakewalk. The passage broadens its analysis to include additional demographics within American society that Walker met with success during that time.

(D)  is Distortion. Walker focused on refining the cakewalk to enhance its appeal, not preserving the parodic elements in circulation at that time.

(E)  is Extreme. In  Paragraph 2 , the author credits the cakewalk as  “one of the first cultural forms to cross the racial divide”  in the United States; to say it was the first ever to do so goes too far. Regardless, even if it had been a correct statement, this answer choice would have also been much too detailed to be the correct answer to a Global question.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. Which one of the following is most analogous to the author's account in the second paragraph of how the cakewalk came to appeal to European Americans?

Explanation

We know that parody is a huge focus in Paragraph 2’s discussion of how the ironies added to the cakewalk’s form enabled the dance to appeal to European Americans. The author lays out the manner in which this happened: the cakewalk (a form of dance) became appealing to European Americans due to the parodic elements that were added to it. With this paraphrase, answer  choice (C)  presents an on-point analogous situation.

Answers (A) ,  (D) , and  (E)  cannot be supported by the passage. The author never mentions how much more popular the cakewalk became over other dance forms, never infers that the cakewalk was not considered popular prior to its surge during this time period, and never acknowledges that the cakewalk can be credited with causing an interest in the traditional West African ceremonial dances it borrowed from. And answer (B) is an irrelevant comparison between young and old listeners that is never addressed by the author.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. The passage asserts which one of the following about the cakewalk?

Explanation

The indefinite question stem should encourage you to check each answer choice against the passage; it could be anything.

(A)  contradicts the passage. The passage discusses how the cakewalk came to be seen as a cultural dance form in the United States all the way back to before the Civil War. Walker is not credited with popularizing the cakewalk until the early 20th century.

(B)  is Outside the Scope. While Walker may be credited with popularizing the cakewalk, it remains unknown how many others performed the cakewalk professionally.

(C)  is Outside the Scope. The author never mentions where the parodic elements of the cakewalk continued or ended with Walker; only that she toned down the parodic nature in her translation.

(D)  is Outside the Scope. Whether the West African origins of the dance were credited because of Walker’s popularization is unknown.

This leaves  (E)  as the clear winner;  Paragraph 2 (lines 20–24)  states that the cakewalk was  “one of the first cultural forms to cross the racial divide in North America.”  Bingo.

Answer: E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

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

Explanation

Since we are not told where to refer back to the passage to answer the question, we must check each answer choice.

(A), (B), (C),  and  (D) . These are all outside the scope of the passage. Satiric art forms in general, the European Americans’ admiration of other African American dances, the widespread results of the interactions between African American and European American cultural forms, and later popular American dances are all topics not addressed by the author. Thus, we cannot begin to surmise her opinion on these matters. This leaves the correct answer,  (E) , which can be supported by Paragraph 4. The author tells us that the “newly rich” used the cakewalk to celebrate their newfound social rank (lines 62–66). Thus, we can infer that the author would agree that they used the dance to bolster or improve their social identities.

Answer: E

Aida Overton Walker (1880-1914), one of the most widely acclaimed

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Aida Overton Walker (1880-1914), one of the most widely acclaimed

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