Many critics of Emily Brontës novel Wuthering Heights see its second

Question

Many critics of Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights see its second part as a counterpoint that comments on, if it does not reverse, the frst part, where a romantic reading receives more confrmation. Seeing the two parts as a whole is encouraged by the novel’s sophisticated structure, revealed in its complex use of narrators and time shifts. Granted that the presence of these elements need not argue for an authorial awareness of novelistic construction comparable to that of Henry James, their presence does encourage attempts to unify the novel’s heterogeneous parts. However, any interpretation that seeks to unify all of the novel’s diverse elements is bound to be somewhat unconvincing. This is not because such an interpretation necessarily stiffens into a thesis (although rigidity in any interpretation of this or of any novel is always a danger), but because Wuthering Heights has recalcitrant elements of undeniable power that, ultimately, resist inclusion in an all-encompassing interpretation. In this respect, Wuthering Heights shares a feature of Hamlet.    1 
 1. According to the passage, which of the following is a true statement about the frst and second parts of  Wuthering Heights?

A. The second part has received more attention from critics. 
B. The second part has little relation to the frst part. 
C. The second part annuls the force of the frst part. 
D. The second part provides less substantiation for a romantic reading. 
E. The second part is better because it is more realistic.

2  
 2. Which of the following inferences about Henry James’s awareness of novelistic construction is best supported by the passage?

A. James, more than any other novelist, was aware of the diffculties of novelistic construction.
B. James was very aware of the details of novelistic construction. 
C. James’s awareness of novelistic construction derived from his reading of Brontë.
D. James’s awareness of novelistic construction has led most commentators to see unity in his individual novels.
E. James’s awareness of novelistic construction precluded him from violating the unity of his novels.

3  
 3. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree that an interpretation of a novel should

A. not try to unite heterogeneous elements in the novel 
B. not be inflexible in its treatment of the elements in the novel
C. not argue that the complex use of narrators or of time shifts indicates a sophisticated structure
D. concentrate on those recalcitrant elements of the novel that are outside the novel’s main structure
E. primarily consider those elements of novelistic construction of which the author of the novel was aware

4  
 For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

4. The author of the passage suggests which of the following about Hamlet?

A.  Hamlet  has usually attracted critical interpretations that tend to stiffen into theses.
B.  Hamlet  has elements that are not amenable to an all-encompassing critical interpretation.
C.  Hamlet  is less open to an all-encompassing critical interpretation than is  Wuthering Heights.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

1. According to the passage, which of the following is a true statement about the frst and second parts of    Wuthering Heights?

Explanation

This question requires the reader to identify which of the given relationships between the novel’s first and second parts is one that is described in the passage. According to the first sentence, the first part of the novel tends to confirm the  “romantic”  reading more strongly than the second. Therefore,  Choice D  is correct.

Nothing in the passage suggests that critics have paid more attention to the second part, that the two parts have little relation, or that the second part is better. Therefore,  Choices A, B,  and  E  are incorrect.

Choice C  is a more extreme statement than any found in the passage, and therefore it is incorrect. 
 
  Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

2. Which of the following inferences about Henry James’s awareness of novelistic construction is best supported by the passage?

Explanation

This question focuses on the passage’s mention of Henry James and asks what can be inferred from it. The third sentence implies that James represents a very
high degree of authorial awareness of novelistic construction and that no such claim is necessarily being made for Brontë. Thus,  Choice B  is the correct answer.

Choice A  is incorrect, since the passage does not imply that there are particular difficulties that James understood uniquely among novelists.

Choice C  is incorrect because the passage does not state or imply that James read Brontë.

The passage also does not say anything about commentators’ opinions of the unity of James’s works; therefore  Choice D  is incorrect.

Choice E  is incorrect because the passage itself offers no information about the unity of James’s novels. 
 
  Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

3. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree that an interpretation of a novel should

Explanation

This question requires the reader to determine what can be inferred from the passage about its author’s view of the interpretation of novels.  Choice A  may seem attractive because in the passage the author says that Wuthering Heights has heterogeneous elements that resist inclusion in a unifying interpretive scheme.  Choice A  is incorrect, however, because the author does not indicate that the unification of different elements is to be avoided in interpretation generally.

By contrast, the author’s parenthetical statement about rigidity does present a general warning against inflexibility of interpretation, and it is this that supports  Choice B  as the correct answer.

Choice C  is incorrect, as the author actually suggests the contrary of this view in the second sentence of the passage.

Although the author mentions recalcitrant elements of Wuthering Heights, there is no suggestion by the author that such elements deserve a special focus in interpretation. Therefore  Choice D  is incorrect.

The author of the passage does not indicate which elements, if any, of novelistic construction are most worthy of consideration. Therefore  Choice E  is incorrect. 
 
  Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

4. The author of the passage suggests which of the following about Hamlet?

Explanation

Choice B  is correct. This question asks the reader which of the three statements about Hamlet listed in the answer choices are suggested by the author of the passage.

Choice A  is incorrect: the passage does not provide information about the characteristics of the usual critical interpretations of Hamlet.

Choice B  is correct: Hamlet is mentioned only in the final sentence of the passage, which refers to  “this respect”  in which Hamlet and Wuthering Heights are similar. The previous sentence reveals the point of similarity referred to: Wuthering Heights has elements that resist inclusion in an all-encompassing interpretive framework.

Choice C  is incorrect: the passage mentions only a feature shared between Hamlet and Wuthering Heights. It does not suggest anything about a difference in their openness to a particular critical interpretation.

Answer: B

Many critics of Emily Brontës novel Wuthering Heights see its second

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