The Korean wave refers to the sudden and significantly increased

Question

The Korean wave refers to the sudden and significantly increased popularity of South Korean culture around the world; it is also referred to as Hallyu, in the Korean language. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists surprised by the fast-growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture in China. Broadly speaking, it can be argued that the popularity of Korean pop music and television soap operas in China and Taiwan sparked the Korean wave abroad. The outbreak of Hallyu can be traced back to 1997, when the Korean TV drama, What Is Love All About, broadcast on state-run Chinese television, CCTV. Since then, the boom of Korean popular culture in the world has remarkably increased. Accordingly, Korean cultural products – Korean music, dance, films, food, and fashion – have become a catalyst for curiosity about Korean culture and Korea itself. Korean dramas, in particular, have served as an important bridge for the different countries to encounter Korean culture.

In Asia, the impact of the Korean wave has not only permeated popular culture but also become a measure of positive lifestyle for many Asian people. Many Asians did not know much about South Korea or knew only a few simple, often stereotypical things about South Korea. Images associated with South Korea were negative and related to events such as the Korean War, cycles of poverty, and political instability. These negative images have diminished dramatically due to trendy entertainers, new technology, and the image of contemporary South Korean lives through dramas and movies.

South Korea’s national image has not always been positive, but the Korean wave has fundamentally changed the national image in a positive way. Such a fast change in the status of South Korea raises important questions regarding the Korean wave and how it is covered in the global media. Many scholars and journalists are examining this South Korean experience as a primary case in which various political, cultural, and historical factors are at play in shaping the perception of a nation.   1 
 1. According to the author, which of the following works would least contribute to the Korean wave?

A. Award-winning Korean journalists documenting contemporary South Korean politics
B. Culinary photographers covering cooking competitions on Korean TV shows
C. Publishers cataloging an anthology of popular Korean songs
D. Websites dedicated to sartorial tastes of Korean teens
E. Korean playwrights penning plays based on Korea’s traditional dance forms

2 
 2. Which of the following statements is most consistent with the passage?

A. Contemporary South Koreans portrayed in Korean movies are generally affluent individuals.
B. Chinese and Taiwanese television soap operas are not popular in their own countries.
C. Korean pop music changed the world’s perspective of Asia’s traditional music forms.
D. New technologies such as social media introduced people to the Korean wave in recent times.
E. South Korea's perception as a conflict-torn society prevailed in the pre-Korean wave era.

3 
 3. Which of the following best describes the relationship between the first and second paragraphs of the passage?

A. The first paragraph discusses a global development, whereas the second paragraph introduces a development with local scope.
B. The first paragraph describes a general development, whereas the second paragraph describes a specific case of the development.
C. The first paragraph discusses a development, whereas the second paragraph explores its causes.
D. The second paragraph describes some effects of a development introduced in the first paragraph.
E. The second paragraph generates a sense of curiosity about the success of a development mentioned in the first paragraph.

4 
 4. According to the passage, many scholars and journalists are studying the Korean wave because it would

A. reveal if there is a link between national image and global media
B. provide insight into the linkage of political, cultural, and historical factors of a nation's economic rise
C. offer a deeper understanding of how the perception of a nation can be shaped
D. further dissolve South Korea's identity as a politically unstable country
E. assist other countries in bringing their cultural ethos to the global front

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ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Mind-map   
     
  To describe the Korean wave – the growing popularity of South Korean culture (Paragraph 1)  
  To mention the effects of the Korean wave (Paragraph 2)  
  To suggest that the Korean wave generated curiosity about how the perception of a nation changes (Paragraph 3)  
   
  = = = = = = = = = =  
 
  1.   According to the author, which of the following works would least contribute to the Korean wave?  
   
  a.     Award-winning Korean journalists documenting contemporary South     Korean politics  
 b.   Culinary photographers covering cooking competitions on Korean TV shows 
 c.   Publishers cataloging an anthology of popular Korean songs 
 d.   Websites dedicated to sartorial tastes of Korean teens 
 e.   Korean playwrights penning plays based on Korea’s traditional dance forms 
 
 Question Type: Inference  
 
  Explanation:   
 
 The first paragraph mentions that “The Korean wave refers to the sudden and significantly increased popularity of South Korean culture around the world” and several “Korean cultural products – Korean music, dance, films, food, and fashion” form the elements of the Korean wave; the passage also mentions that “Korean dramas, in particular, have served as an important bridge”. Each answer choice needs to be carefully evaluated in light of the information presented in the passage. 
 
 A.  Correct.  The first paragraph mentions that several “Korean cultural products – Korean music, dance, films, food, and fashion” form the elements of the Korean wave; the passage also mentions that “Korean dramas, in particular, have served as an important bridge”;   there is no mention of  South    Korean politics as part of the Korean wave  ; according to the author, award-winning Korean journalists documenting contemporary South Korean politics would not contribute to the Korean wave.  
 
 B. The first paragraph mentions that several “Korean cultural products – Korean music, dance, films, food, and fashion” form the elements of the Korean wave; so, culinary photographers covering cooking competitions on Korean TV shows would   contribute to the Korean wave because of the “food” aspect   of their work. Incorrect.  
 
 C. The first paragraph mentions that several “Korean cultural products – Korean music, dance, films, food, and fashion” form the elements of the Korean wave; so, publishers cataloging an anthology of popular Korean songs would   contribute to the Korean wave because of the “music” aspect   of their work. Incorrect.  
 
 D. The first paragraph mentions that several “Korean cultural products – Korean music, dance, films, food, and fashion” form the elements of the Korean wave; so, websites dedicated to sartorial tastes, meaning tailoring or clothing related tastes, of Korean teens would   contribute to the Korean wave because of the “fashion” aspect   of their   content  . Incorrect.  
 
 E. The first paragraph mentions that several “Korean cultural products – Korean music, dance, films, food, and fashion” form the elements of the Korean wave; the passage also mentions that “Korean dramas, in particular, have served as an important bridge”; so, Korean playwrights penning plays based on Korea’s traditional dance forms would   contribute to the Korean wave because of the “dance” and “drama” aspects   of their work. Incorrect.  
 
   A is the best choice.   
  
 = = = = = = = = = =
   
  2.   Which of the following statements is most consistent with the passage?  
   
 a.   Contemporary South Koreans portrayed in Korean movies are generally affluent individuals. 
 b.   Chinese and Taiwanese television soap operas are not popular in their own countries. 
 c.   Korean pop music changed the world’s perspective of Asia’s traditional music forms. 
 d.   New technologies such as social media introduced people to the Korean wave in recent times. 
  e.     South Korea's perception as a conflict-torn society prevailed in the pre-Korean wave era.  
 
 Question Type: Inference 
 
  Explanation:   
 
 Each answer choice needs to be carefully evaluated in light of the information presented in the passage. 
 
 A. The first paragraph mentions that several “Korean cultural products – Korean music, dance, films, food, and fashion” form the elements of the Korean wave, and the second paragraph mentions that South Korea’s negative images “have diminished dramatically due to trendy entertainers, new technology, and the image of contemporary South Korean lives through dramas and movies”; although it is true that “contemporary South Korean lives”, Korean “drama”, and Korean “movies” have played a role in the Korean wave,   the passage doesn’t suggest that the contemporary South Koreans portrayed in Korean movies are generally affluent individuals  . Incorrect. 
 
 B. The first paragraph mentions that “Broadly speaking, it can be argued that the popularity of Korean pop music and television soap operas in China and Taiwan sparked the Korean wave abroad”; the passage states that Korean pop music and television soap operas became famous in China and Taiwan, but provides   no information related to the Chinese and Taiwanese television soap operas  ; there is no information in the passage to evaluate the statement in the answer choice that television soap operas in China and Taiwan are not popular in their own countries. Incorrect. 
 
 C. The first paragraph mentions that “The Korean wave refers to the sudden and significantly increased popularity of South Korean culture around the world” and that “Broadly speaking, it can be argued that the popularity of Korean pop music and television soap operas in China and Taiwan sparked the Korean wave abroad”; the passage states that Korean pop music pioneered the Korean wave outside of South Korea, but   the passage offers no information related to how the world reacted to “Asia’s traditional music forms”   as an effect of the Korean wave; there is no information in the passage to evaluate the statement in the answer choice that Korean pop music changed the world’s perspective of Asia’s traditional music forms. Incorrect. 
 
 D. Trap.   The passage makes no reference to the role of “new technologies such as social media” in introducing people to the Korean wave  ; although there is one reference to “new technologies” in the second paragraph while stating that “These negative images have diminished dramatically due to trendy entertainers, new technology, and the image of contemporary South Korean lives through dramas and movies”,   this reference is related to the portrayal of contemporary Korean culture’s usage of new technology  , but it is not related to the role of new technology in bringing the Korean wave to people. Incorrect. 
 
 E.  Correct.  The second paragraph mentions that, before the Korean wave, “  Images associated with South Korea were negative and related to events such as the Korean War, cycles of poverty, and political instability  ”, and after the Korean wave, “These negative images have diminished dramatically due to trendy entertainers, new technology, and the image of contemporary South Korean lives through dramas and movies”; so, the passage suggests that South Korea's perception as a conflict-torn society prevailed in the pre-Korean wave era, as the answer choice mentions. 
 
   E is the best choice.   
  
 = = = = = = = = = =  
 
   3.   Which of the following best describes the relationship between the first and second paragraphs of the passage?   
   
 a.   The first paragraph discusses a global development, whereas the second paragraph introduces a development with local scope. 
 b.   The first paragraph describes a general development, whereas the second paragraph describes a specific case of the development. 
 c.   The first paragraph discusses a development, whereas the second paragraph explores its causes. 
  d.     The second paragraph describes some effects of a development introduced in the first paragraph.  
 e.   The second paragraph generates a sense of curiosity about the success of a development mentioned in the first paragraph. 
 
 Question Type: Structure 
 
   D is the best choice.   
  
 = = = = = = = = = =  
 
    Video explanation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nszLBren7Fw

4.   According to the passage, many scholars and journalists are studying the Korean wave because it would   
   
 a.   reveal if there is a link between national image and global media 
 b.   provide insight into the linkage of political, cultural, and historical factors of a nation's economic rise 
  c.     offer a deeper understanding of how the perception of a nation can be shaped  
 d.   further dissolve South Korea's identity as a politically unstable country 
 e.   assist other countries in bringing their cultural ethos to the global front 
 
 Question Type: Fact 
 
   C is the best choice.   
     
    Video explanation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYNTvBynVP0

The Korean wave refers to the sudden and significantly increased

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The Korean wave refers to the sudden and significantly increased

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