With his first published works in the 1950s, Amos Tutuola became the

Question

With his first published works in the 1950s, Amos
Tutuola became the first Nigerian writer to receive
wide international recognition. Written in a mix of
standard English, idiomatic Nigerian English, and
  (5)   literal translation of his native language, Yoruba,
Tutuola’s works were quick to be praised by many
literary critics as fresh, inventive approaches to the
form of the novel. Others, however, dismissed his
works as simple retellings of local tales, full of
  (10)   unwelcome liberties taken with the details of the
well-known story lines. However, to estimate properly
Tutuola’s rightful position in world literature, it is
essential to be clear about the genre in which he
wrote; literary critics have assumed too facilely that
  (15)   he wrote novels.

No matter how flexible a definition of the novel
one uses, establishing a set of criteria that enable
Tutuola’s works to be described as such applies to his
works a body of assumptions the works are not
  (20)   designed to satisfy. Tutuola is not a novelist but a
teller of folktales. Many of his critics are right to
suggest that Tutuola’s subjects are not strikingly
original, but it is important to bear in mind that
whereas realism and originality are expected of the
  (25)   novel, the teller of folktales is expected to derive
subjects and frameworks from the corpus of
traditional lore. The most useful approach to
Tutuola’s works, then, is one that regards him as
working within the African oral tradition.

(30)   Within this tradition, a folktale is common
property, an expression of a people’s culture and
social circumstances. The teller of folktales knows
that the basic story is already known to most listeners
and, equally, that the teller’s reputation depends on
  (35)   the inventiveness with which the tale is modified and
embellished, for what the audience anticipates is not
an accurate retelling of the story but effective
improvisation and delivery. Thus, within the
framework of the basic story, the teller is allowed
  (40)   considerable room to maneuver—in fact, the most
brilliant tellers of folktales transform them into
unique works.

Tutuola’s adherence to this tradition is clear:
specific episodes, for example, are often repeated for
  (45)   emphasis, and he embellishes familiar tales with
personal interpretations or by transferring them to
modern settings. The blend of English with local
idiom and Yoruba grammatical constructs, in which
adjectives and verbs are often interchangeable,
  (50)   re-creates the folktales in singular ways. And, perhaps
most revealingly, in the majority of Tutuola’s works,
the traditional accents and techniques of the teller of
folktales are clearly discernible, for example in the
adoption of an omniscient, summarizing voice at the
  (55)   end of his narratives, a device that is generally
recognized as being employed to conclude most
folktales.    1 
 1. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

(A) Amos Tutuola is an internationally acclaimed writer of folktales whose unique writing style blends together aspects of Yoruba, Nigerian English, and standard English.
(B) Amos Tutuola’s literary works should be evaluated not as novels but as unique and inventively crafted retellings of folktales.
(C) Amos Tutuola is an important author because he is able to incorporate the traditions of an oral art form into his novels.
(D) Critics are divided as to whether Amos Tutuola’s literary works should be regarded as novels or folktales.
(E) The folktale is a valuable African literary genre that finds singular expression in the works of Amos Tutuola.

2 
 2. Tutuola’s approach to writing folktales would be most clearly exemplified by a modern-day Irish author who

(A) applied conventions of the modern novel to the retelling of Irish folktales
(B) re-created important elements of the Irish literary style within a purely oral art form
(C) combined characters from English and Irish folktales to tell a story of modern life
(D) transplanted traditional Irish folktales from their original setting to contemporary Irish life
(E) utilized an omniscient narrator in telling original stories about contemporary Irish life

3 
 3. Which one of the following most accurately characterizes the author’s attitude toward Tutuola’s position in world literature?

(A) convinced that Tutuola’s works should be viewed within the context of the African oral tradition
(B) certain that Tutuola’s works will generate a renewed interest in the study of oral traditions
(C) pleased at the reception that Tutuola’s works have received from literary critics
(D) confident that the original integrity of Tutuola’s works will be preserved despite numerous translations
(E) optimistic that Tutuola’s works reflect what will become a growing new trend in literature

4 
 4 According to the passage, some critics have criticized Tutuola’s work on the ground that

(A) his literary works do not exhibit enough similarities to the African oral tradition from which they are drawn
(B) his mixture of languages is not entirely effective as a vehicle for either traditional folktales or contemporary novels
(C) his attempt to fuse elements of traditional storytelling style with the format of the novel is detrimental to his artistic purposes
(D) his writing borrows substantially from wellknown story lines and at the same time alters their details
(E) his unique works are not actually novels, even though he characterizes them as such

5 
 5. The author attributes each of the following to Tutuola EXCEPT:

(A) repetition of elements in his stories for emphasis
(B) relocation of traditional stories to modern settings
(C) attainment of international recognition
(D) use of an omniscient narrator in his works
(E) transformation of Yoruba folktales into modern novels

6 
 6. The author refers to the “corpus of traditional lore” (lines 26–27) as part of an attempt to

(A) distinguish expectations that apply to one literary genre from those that apply to another literary genre
(B) argue that two sharply differing literary genres are both equally valuable
(C) challenge critics who ascribe little merit to innovative ways of blending two distinct literary genres
(D) elucidate those characteristics of one literary genre that have direct counterparts in another, largely dissimilar genre
(E) argue for a new, more precise analysis of two literary genres whose distinguishing characteristics are poorly understood

7 
 7. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) illustrate the wide range of Tutuola’s body of work
(B) explain the significance of the literary genre of the folktale and to defend it as a valid art form
(C) provide an account of Tutuola’s body of work in order to help establish appropriate criteria for its evaluation
(D) distinguish accurately between the genre of the novel and that of the folktale
(E) summarize the disagreement among critics regarding Tutuola’s place in world literature

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. Tutuola’s approach to writing folktales would be most clearly exemplified by a modern-day Irish author who

Explanation

For this question, we’re looking to match Tutuola’s writing approach to another author. Tutuola’s approach was outlined by a few examples in the fourth paragraph: He embellishes familiar tales with personal interpretations or by transferring them to modern settings. The best strategy here is to compare the answers to the examples in the passage to find out which one matches exactly.

(A)  This is the opposite of what we’re looking for. Tutuloa applied folktale conventions to his modern works, not the other way around.

(B)  Tutuola didn’t try to recreate elements of any literary style.

(C)  Tutuola may have blended languages and linguistic constructs, but nothing in the passage suggests that he combined characters from different tales in his storytelling.

(D)  In  lines 46–47 , Tutuola is described as transferring traditional tales to modern settings. That sounds exactly like a modern Irish author transplanting traditional Irish tales into contemporary settings. This is parallel and is thus the correct answer. For the record:

(E)  This answer tries to throw test takers off by mentioning the omniscient narrator that was used by Tutuola according to  lines 53–55 . However, that narrating voice is described as one that summarizes the story and the end of the narrative. More importantly, though, this answer discusses original stories. Tutuola didn’t tell original stories; he told wellknown stories in an inventive manner. This is not a parallel circumstance.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. The author attributes each of the following to Tutuola EXCEPT:

Explanation

Since the author discusses Tutuola’s works throughout the passage, one might expect this question to take a little more time than others. However, a quick glance through the answers might turn up a glaring problem with  (E) , which discusses turning folktales into novels.

Given the author’s insistence that Tutuola didn’t write novels, this seems like something the author would never have claimed. As it turns out, this is the exception and is therefore the correct answer.

To find the other four answers, a good place to start looking for attributes of Tutuola’s works is the  fourth paragraph.  That’s where we find  (A) , repetition of ideas for emphasis  (lines 43–45); (B) , relocation to modern settings  (lines 46–47) ; and  (D) , the omniscient narrator  (lines 54–55) . To find reference to Tutuola’s international recognition, as mentioned in  (C) , you have to jump all the way back up to the first sentence of the passage.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

7. The primary purpose of the passage is to

Explanation

The Purpose of the passage comes across pretty clearly in the author’s use of the words  “essential” in line 13  and “ most useful approach” in line 28.  The author is recommending a better way to classify Tutuola’s works in order to better understand them. Also, the examples of Tutuola’s works in the last paragraph help provide specific evidence to back up that recommendation. So, a good prediction of the author’s Purpose would be: to use examples of Tutuola’s works to show how those works should be better classified for more proper evaluation. And that’s what  (C)  basically says. For the record:

(A)  FUD. This passage predominantly confines Tutuola’s works to the realm of folktales and doesn’t really ascribe any further range.

(B), (D)  Distortion. These answers misapply the focus of the passage onto the genres of literature when the passage is really concerned about the works of Tutuola.

(E)  FUD. This is covered in the first paragraph, but this answer pretty much ignores everything that comes afterwards.

Answer: C

gupta.vinit · Answer

Hello, Can you pls explain in details again why point one is wrong in question 2? Didn't got reason stated by you.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Option (A) is incorrect because it suggests that the modern-day Irish author applied conventions of the modern novel to the retelling of Irish folktales, which is not consistent with the description of Amos Tutuola's approach to writing folktales. The passage clearly states that Tutuola did not apply the conventions of the modern novel to his works. Instead, he followed the African oral tradition of storytelling, where the teller of folktales is expected to derive subjects and frameworks from traditional lore and engage in effective improvisation and delivery within the framework of the basic story. Tutuola's approach is more aligned with the African oral tradition than with the conventions of the modern novel.

So, while the passage describes how Tutuola's works are similar to the tradition of telling folktales, it does not suggest that he applied modern novel conventions to the retelling of folktales. Therefore, option (A) is incorrect.

Rishab2409 · Answer

6. The author refers to the “corpus of traditional lore” (lines 26–27) as part of an attempt to

(A) distinguish expectations that apply to one literary genre from those that apply to another literary genre
(B) argue that two sharply differing literary genres are both equally valuable
(C) challenge critics who ascribe little merit to innovative ways of blending two distinct literary genres
(D) elucidate those characteristics of one literary genre that have direct counterparts in another, largely dissimilar genre
(E) argue for a new, more precise analysis of two literary genres whose distinguishing characteristics are poorly understood

The correct answer is (A) distinguish expectations that apply to one literary genre from those that apply to another literary genre. In the passage, the author contrasts the expectations placed on a novelist with those placed on a storyteller. The text states that while "realism and originality are expected of the novel," a teller of folktales is instead "expected to derive subjects and frameworks from the corpus of traditional lore." By referencing the "corpus of traditional lore," the author is illustrating the specific artistic standards and criteria that belong to the folktale genre, directly contrasting them with the conventions governing the novel.

With his first published works in the 1950s, Amos Tutuola became the

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

With his first published works in the 1950s, Amos Tutuola became the

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