Journalist Rebecca Wests 1937 journey through Yugoslavia began in Cro

Question

Journalist Rebecca West’s 1937 journey through Yugoslavia began in Croatia, and in the city of Zagreb she confessed to being perplexed at having stumbled on “the strangest episode of sovereignty I have ever chanced upon in any land.” West sets out to solve this riddle, which involves the Croats’ irrational but persistent attachment to the Habsburg dynasty that ruled Austria. Why would the Croats continue to feel loyalty toward the Austrians, who sold out Croatia to Hungary over and over again?

In a Zagreb square, West sees a statue of the Croat general Yellatchitch. For West, this statue crystallizes the paradox of the Croats’ enduring desire for a stable alliance with the much larger Austria in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Croatia’s desire to put itself under Austrian control was a conundrum because Croatia had recently liberated itself from Hungarian rule. Yellatchitch came to the defense of the Habsburgs when Hungary threatened to depose them in 1848, leading the Croat army to victory in Austria’s name. But after offering their fervent support to Austria, the Croats received only treachery and betrayal in return. Instead of guaranteeing Croat autonomy, the Habsburgs consigned them once again to subjection under Hungary, the empire the less-powerful Croats had so recently vanquished.

For West, the statue of Yellatchitch stands as a reminder of a brief but lapsed moment when liberation from imperial power seemed imminent but did not ultimately arrive. It is a perverse commemoration of the dashed hopes of 1848. If for the Croats the victory “might as well have been a defeat,” and for the Hungarians vice versa, why leave the statue in the middle of the town square? West writes that, for the Croats who encounter it every day as they go about their mundane errands, the statue embodies their ardor for meaningless sacrifice. 
  1

Given the facts presented in the passage, it is possible to validly infer all of the following EXCEPT:

a. Croatia was at a disadvantage when fighting Hungary.
b. The Habsburgs ceded Croatia to Hungary as a form of punishment.
c. The 1848 battle between Croatia and Hungary cost many lives.
d. West believes the monument to General Yellatchitch is not agreeable or appropriate
e. General Yellatchitch led troops into war because he anticipated a favorable result for Croatia.
 B 
  2 
 In the first paragraph, the idiom “sold out” is closest to the meaning of which of the following?

a. Received money in payment for
b. No longer in stock
c. Transferred power of
d. Betrayed
e. Lost control of
  D

CounterSniper · Answer

Given the facts presented in the passage, it is possible to validly infer all of the following EXCEPT:

clearly the answer is among answer choices a,b ,and c

a. Croatia was at a disadvantage when fighting Hungary .
It is safe to assume this point , The second paragraph mentions 
 Croatia had recently liberated itself from Hungarian rule

b. The Habsburgs ceded Croatia to Hungary as a form of punishment. 
It is true that The Habsburgs ceded Croatia to Hungary ,  but we cannot infer whether it was a form of punishment .
ceding Croatia to Hungary as a form of punishment is  too specific  and no where mentioned in the paragraph.
 This should be the answer.
 
 c. The 1848 battle between Croatia and Hungary cost many lives. 
This again is safe to assume .
In a battle/war lives are lost ,it is a generic statement , but a worse choice for an answer as compared to b

d. West believes the monument to General Yellatchitch is not agreeable or appropriate 
-can be inferred

e. General Yellatchitch led troops into war because he anticipated a favorable result for Croatia. 
-can be inferred

therefore,
B

In the first paragraph, the idiom “sold out” is closest to the meaning of which of the following?

a. Received money in payment for
b. No longer in stock
c. Transferred power of
d. Betrayed
e. Lost control of

sold out means Betrayed.
also ,
in the second paragraph 
it is clearly written 
  the Croats received only treachery and betrayal in return  
so D

Doer01 · Answer

Hi Folks,
 I am a bit confused abou second question here. 
While the idiom ‘sold out’ means betrayal, the second paragraph clearly says that Austrians transferred power to Hungarians. “Instead of guaranteeing Croat autonomy, the Habsburgs consigned them once again to subjection under Hungary, the empire the less-powerful Croats had so recently vanquished.”
I admit that question is specifically asked about idiom from paragraph one but does it mean that it narrows the scope as well?
I’d love to hear your views.
Thanks!!

globaldesi · Answer

Quesion 1:
Correct answer: (B)
We can find evidence for answers (A), (C), (D), and (E) in the passage. The phrase “less-powerful Croats” suggests that Croatia was at a disadvantage with respect to Hungary. The final word of the passage, “sacrifice,” implies that the 1848 campaign cost Croatia dearly. That West finds the statue a “perverse commemoration” implies that she would not describe it as agreeable or appropriate. That the statue represents “dashed hopes” indicates disappointed expectations on the part of Yellatchitch and the rest of Croatia. Answer (B) is correct because we know that the Habsburgs ceded Croatia to Hungary, but we don’t know why. This is part of the mystery that intrigues West.

Question 2:
Correct answer: (D)

The idiom “sold out” should be understood in the context of the “loyalty” that is being questioned in the last sentence of the first paragraph. That sentence can be paraphrased, “Why were the Croats loyal to the Austrians, when the Austrians were not loyal to the Croats?” Answers (A) and (B) reflect other meanings of the idiom “sold out,” but not meanings that make sense in this context. Also, note that answer (B) is not grammatically parallel with “sold out” and cannot be substituted for it. Answer (C) is true according to the passage: Austria did transfer control of Croatia to Hungary (not lose control of Croatia; eliminate answer (E)). But the idiom “sold out” is less neutral than “transferred power of.” It carries a negative connotation reflected in answer (D), the correct choice. Note also that the relationship between Austria and Croatia is described in terms of “treachery and betrayal” in the second paragraph, a clue that “Betrayed” is a good choice here.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Journalist Rebecca Wests 1937 journey through Yugoslavia began in Cro

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