It would be expected that a novel by a figure as prominent as W. E. B.

Question

It would be expected that a novel by a figure as prominent as W. E. B. DuBois would attract the attention of literary critics. Additionally, when the novel subtly engages the issue of race, as DuBois’ The Quest of the Silver Fleece (1911) does, it would be a surprise not to encounter an abundance of scholarly work about that text. But though valuable scholarship has examined DuBois’ political and historical thought, his novels have received scant attention. Perhaps DuBois the novelist must wait his turn behind DuBois the philosopher, historian, and editor. But what if the truth lies elsewhere: what if his novels do not speak to current concerns?    1 
 1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding DuBois’ The Quest of the Silver Fleece?

A. The lack of attention devoted to The Quest of the Silver Fleece can be attributed to the fact that it was DuBois’ first novel.
B. Among DuBois’ novels, The Quest of the Silver Fleece is unusual in that it has received scant attention from scholars.
C. The Quest of the Silver Fleece has at least one feature that typically would attract the attention of literary scholars.
D. The Quest of the Silver Fleece, given its subtle exploration of race, is probably the best novel written by DuBois.
E. Much of the scholarly work that has focused on The Quest of the Silver Fleece has been surprisingly critical of it.

2 
 2. In the fourth sentence (“Perhaps DuBois … editor.”), the author of the passage is most likely suggesting that

A. scholars will find that DuBois’ novels are more relevant to current concerns than is his work as philosopher, historian, and editor
B. more scholarly attention will be paid to The Quest of the Silver Fleece than to DuBois’ other novels
C. DuBois’ novels will come to overshadow his work as philosopher, historian, and editor
D. DuBois’ novels may eventually attract greater scholarly interest than they have to date
E. it will be shown that DuBois’ work as philosopher, historian, and editor had an important influence on his work as novelist

3 
 3. Which of the following best describes the central issue with which the passage is concerned?

A. The perfunctoriness of much of the critical work devoted to DuBois’ novels
B. The nature of DuBois’ engagement with the issue of race in The Quest of the Silver Fleece
C. Whether DuBois’ novels are of high quality and relevant to current concerns
D. The relationship between DuBois the novelist and DuBois the philosopher, historian, and editor
E. The degree of consideration that has been given to DuBois’ novels, including The Quest of the Silver Fleece

Carcass · Answer

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding DuBois’ The Quest of the Silver Fleece?

A The lack of attention devoted to The Quest of the Silver Fleece can be attributed to the fact that it was DuBois’ first novel.- incorrect- passage does not mention first novel
B Among DuBois’ novels, The Quest of the Silver Fleece is unusual in that it has received scant attention from scholars.- incorrect- his novels have always received less attention
C The Quest of the Silver Fleece has at least one feature that typically would attract the attention of literary scholars.- correct- the issue of race
D The Quest of the Silver Fleece, given its subtle exploration of race, is probably the best novel written by DuBois.- incorrect- passage does not mention best novel
E Much of the scholarly work that has focused on The Quest of the Silver Fleece has been surprisingly critical of it.- incorrect- passage does not mention criticism

2. In the fourth sentence (“Perhaps DuBois . . . editor.”), the author of the passage is most likely suggesting that

A scholars will find that DuBois’ novels are more relevant to current concerns than is his work as philosopher, historian, and editor-
incorrect- passage does mention novels are relevant to current concerns
B more scholarly attention will be paid to The Quest of the Silver Fleece than to DuBois’ other novels- incorrect- not mentioned
C DuBois’ novels will come to overshadow his work as philosopher, historian, and editor- incorrect- overshadow is not mentioned
D DuBois’ novels may eventually attract greater scholarly interest than they have to date- correct. it is matter of time before it happens
E it will be shown that DuBois’ work as philosopher, historian, and editor had an important influence on his work as novelist-
incorrect- passage does not mentions influence

3. Which of the following best describes the central issue with which the passage is concerned?

A The perfunctoriness of much of the critical work devoted to DuBois’ novels- incorrect- analysis of critical work about novel not mentioned
B The nature of DuBois’ engagement with the issue of race in The Quest of the Silver Fleece- incorrect- not discussed
C Whether DuBois’ novels are of high quality and relevant to current concerns- incorrect- this only referred once
D The relationship between DuBois the novelist and DuBois the philosopher, historian, and editor- the relationship between two aspects is not explore
E The degree of consideration that has been given to DuBois’ novels, including The Quest of the Silver Fleece- This is the central idea right from the first line

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding DuBois’ The Quest of the Silver Fleece?

Explanation

Choice C  is correct. The second sentence states that The Quest of the Silver Fleece subtly engages the issue of race and implies that such an issue would attract the attention of literary scholars. The passage provides no information about whether The Quest of the Silver Fleece is DuBois’ first novel (Choice A), whether it received more or less scholarly attention than his other novels (Choice B), whether it is better than any of his other novels (Choice D), nor about what scholars have said about it (Choice E).

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. In the fourth sentence (“Perhaps DuBois ... editor.”), the author of the passage is most likely suggesting that

Explanation

The fourth sentence speculates that once DuBois scholars have exhausted potential avenues of research in the fields of philosophy, history, and editing, they will turn to his novels, so  Choice D  is the correct answer. None of the other choices fits the metaphor in  “Perhaps DuBois the novelist must wait his turn.”

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. Which of the following best describes the central issue with which the passage is concerned?

Explanation

The passage focuses on the scant attention given to DuBois’ novels, The Quest of the Silver Fleece in particular. The first two sentences give reasons to expect greater attention, while the last two offer speculations about the explanation for the scant attention. Thus, Choice E is correct. The issues described in the other answer choices are all marginal to the passage, if they are mentioned at all.

Answer: E

Answer: E

It would be expected that a novel by a figure as prominent as W. E. B.

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