Reading Drill 3

For each question in this section, circle the letter of the best answer from among the choices given.

Questions 1-12 are based on the following passage. Passage 2

Passage 1 Music in Peril is hardly surprising in our era of
apocalyptic surveys, yet more evidence that all the bad
Music in Peril confirms most of our worst suspicions.
40 things we suspect are worse than we even knew. These
The 2011 survey gives an interesting but ultimately
saddening assessment of the state of music in schools. In surveys are the bread and butter of cultural critics, who
are always looking for social-scientific support for their
Line a span of only thirty years, the number of children playing
5 musical instruments has been cut in half. If you care about
own suspicions. These critics were already speaking of
"decline" and "death," and now these surveys just give
sustaining cultural life in this country, you are probably as
45 more fodder to their calls for "reinvention" and "change."
worried now as many of the rest of us are.
Now, for the first time in history, the story goes, fewer
Music in Peril is not the collection of urban .legends
children are learning instruments than ever before.
that most of its critics will accuse it of being. It is a set
Nevertheless, Music in Peril misses the important fact
10 of data collected from elementary and middle schools all
that music is as interesting as it has ever been, even if the
over the country. With schools represented from each of
50 average teen doesn't know a Beethoven symphony from a
the 50 states, it accounts for all the great diversity in this
Chopin etude. In the age of the iPod, people are listening
country-not merely race and gender diversity, but class
to music all the time, even if they're not doing it in quite
and regional diversity as well. Given the broad reach of the
the ways or the places that musical conservatives want
15 survey, and the f act that it has collected its data in at least
them to.
the five most populous towns in each state, Music in Peril
55 It would be naive, however, to say that Music in Peril's
is a statistically sound document. Although the survey
findings are completely wrongheaded. Music programs
covers a wide range of topics relating to music education,
have been slashed at many public schools, and Jess than
the basic results go something like this: music education
half as many children today are learning instruments than
20 and instrument-playing have decreased dramatically
were the generations of forty or fifty years earlier. And
among all children aged 6-18, regardless of race, gender,
60 this statistical certainty is not limited to the less fortunate
or region, and this decrease is occurring at a higher rate
areas of the country: "Indeed," write the statisticians, "the
than in the past.
50 percent reduction is only the median. While some
Even if the data in the report are potentially disturbing
schools have seen more modest declines, many schools
25 these data are hardly unexpected, unless we did not realize
have cut out their music education and appreciation
just how widespread music education was in the past.
65 programs almost entirely."
Music in Peril has simply put what everyone knows-that
So what is the lesson of the survey? The musical
state and federal governments have cut music out of public
landscape is changing, yes, but not in the distressing way
schools at an alarming rate-into the language of statistics.
30 The ability to play a musical instrument and to appreciate
that Music in Peril wants to suggest. The survey can't
capture the fact that classical music is not the only place
music is not inborn, even if some people seem to have
10 to find interesting, complex music anymore, except by the
"natural" talents. True musical proficiency is the result of
most conservative, crustiest definitions. Listen to any of
many years of encouraging musical education, and not
only for those who eventually become musicians. Ours is the new experimental music in genres like post-rock, math
rock, and tech-noire, and you'll see that classical music no
35 a dire world indeed when not only have our musicians lost
longer has an exclusive hold on musical virtuosity. You'll
the ability to play but also the broader populace has lost
75 see that, in surveys like Music in Peril, the only real
the discernment and ability to hear them.
decline is in musical categories that don't apply anymore.
All that is happening is that the institutions of old are
trying to hold on for dear life and actually belong in the
same irrelevant pile as studies on the decline of cursive or
so telephone conversations.

Reading Drills 215

1. Lines 3-5 ("In a ... half') suggest that the situation 6. Which of the following would the author of Passage
described should be considered 2 most likely consider another apocaJyptic (line 39)
A) rapid. idea?
B) suspicious. A) An editorial that argues that the trend toward
C) inevitable. text messaging has led to a decline in the
D) essential. number of E-mails sent per year
B) An article that shows that reading among
teenagers has increased since the popularization
2. The author of Passage l suggests that a set of data of e-readers
(lines 9-JO) should ideally be C) A s1ideshow that details the 20 most
environmentally conscious cities in the United
A) taken from the same set as previous surveys.
States
B) diverse enough to reflect the group it represents.
D) A sociologist who argues that the use of
C) made up of elementary-school-aged children.
smartphones among teenagers will lead to a
D) comprised of equal numbers from each race.
significant increase in driver fatalities

3. The author of Passage 2 would most likely argue that

7. Lines 55-65 ("It would ... entirely"') focus on which
the reach of the survey (Passage 1, lines 14-15) is
aspect of the statistical certainty?
A) less representative of racial diversity than the
A) Its obviousness
author of Passage 1 promises.
B) Its range
B) less relevant to the study than the author of
C) Its conservatism
Passage I believes.
D) Its bias
C) drawn from a group that does not represent the
diversity that the author of Passage 1 assumes.
D) more similar to the reach of previous studies
than the author of Passage I knows. 8. The author of Passage 2 indicates that the landscape
referenced in line is
A) characterized by a lack of expertise.
4. The final paragraph of Passage I (lines 24-37) serves B) based on regional preferences and racial identity.
primarily to C) shifting and thus not possible to describe.
D) no longer defined by its traditional parameters.
A) discount the survey's findings by showing that
they are already well-known.
B) argue for a new approach that the survey's
results show is inevitable. 9. As used in line 71, "crustiest" most nearly means
C) take issue with the statisticians who collected A) most ineffective.
the data for the survey. B) cruelest.
D) suggest the cultural implications of the trend it is C) most inflexible.
describing. D) filthiest.

5. The author of Passage 2 would most likely consider 10. The author of Passage 1 would most likely respond
the final two sentences of Passage I (lines 32-37) to to the last statement in Passage 2 (lines 77-80) by
be asserting that
A) overstated. A) a survey of musical-education programs has
B) ironic. broader cultural importance.
C) shrewd. B) classical music is as essential to well-rounded
D) dishonest. citizens as cursive.
C) Music in Peril is one of the first studies of
school-aged children.
D) surveys like the one in Music in Peril are run by
respected statisticians.
11. Which best describes the tone of the first paragraph
of Passage 1 and the tone of the first paragraph of
Passage 2, respectively?
A) Morose vs. elated
B) Sensitive vs. offensive
C) Conservative vs. dismissive
D) Concerned vs. skeptical

12. Which best conveys the primary relationship between

the two passages?
A) Passage 2 discusses some of the findings that
undermine the survey described in Passage l .
B) Passage 2 takes issue with some of the premises
that shape the argument made in Passage 1 .
C) Passage 2 offers the cultural context that adds
support to the conclusions drawn by the author
of Passage 1 .
D) Passage 2 uses the predictions offered in
Passage l as a way to argue for a revolutionary
change.

Reading Drills I 217

 Questions 13-21 are based on the following passage. human personality seems more complex, then the method
of storytelling needs to be changed accordingly. Our need
55 for narrative will not allow us to abandon storytelling
The following excerpt is adaptedfrom a 1985 book on the altogether. Because after all that has come before us, and
role of storytelling in human understanding. all that will come later, if we're not part of the big story,
We love to spin yarns, to tell tales, to chronicle events. what are we?
If we get even a few details about someone, we'll start to
connect those details into some kind of narrative about
Line that person. We want any nearby dots to be connected.
5 Effect with no cause, correlation with no causation: we
can't assimilate these ideas because they don't have that
narrative structure. Our minds want stories, even if those
stories need to be twisted and mangled into existence.
This is how we give order to the chaotic world 13. As used in line l, "yams" most nearly means
10 around us. Take any messy, complicated historical event, A) strings.
something like the American Civil War: a bloody and Jong B) tapestries.
conflict, and hopelessly complex when taken in isolation. C) narratives.
•Historians and onlookers alike have spent over a century D) tails.
debating the causes, the effects, and the place of this event
15 in the ongoing plot of American history. Neuroscientists
have referred to a "need for narrative," both as an
explanation for the popularity of fiction and for how 14. The author implies that "nearby dots to be connected"
people interact with one another. In the grander scheme, (line 4) are details that
the need for narrative may inform the way we understand A) are part of the simplicity of the meaning of life.
20 ourselves. We'll take anything conclusive as long as it's B) do not exist in the real world.
consistent. C) different personalities understand in different
Personality is one of life's great mysteries. It is too ways.
large; it has too many components; it has too many D) may not be connected outside the human mind.
omissions. It changes all the time, from day to day or
25 hour to hour, and there are times that it can seem we've
got multiple personalities at once. Because it is too 15. The author uses the phrase "twisted and mangled"
many things to manage, we turn personality into a single (line 8) in order to
narrative, a single "me" or "you." I need my friend Jack to
be the brainy one; I need my husband to be the comforting A) chastise readers for accepting simple solutions.
B) show the historical roots of a human response.
30 one; I need my parents to be my sources of strength.
C) identify why humans prefer certain types of
Understanding them as I do, as the stories that they are, I
simply forget whenever they do something that doesn't personality.
make narrative sense. It makes sense that in the earliest D) underline the need for a particular preference.
literary and historical texts we have, the main characters
35 are defined by their cardinal attributes. Whether Odysseus
is characterized by his bravery, Penelope by her devotion, 16. In context, the reference to the "ongoing plot" (line
or Oedipus by his tragic love, these complex characters are 15) serves to emphasize the
made into simpler, more consistent wholes on the strength A) historical interest in conspiracy theories.
of narrative. B) challenge in uncovering historical mysteries.
40 In all eras of history, literature and art have been C) perceived relatedness of historical events.
filled with "characters." whether the symbolic, allegorical D) human talent for creating fictional stories.
characters of the Bible or the subjects of contemporary
biographical film. In the early twentieth century, the very
notion of "consistent" stories broke down, and characters 17. The phrase "In the grander scheme" (line 18) serves
45 became less rigidly defined as a result. Suddenly, amid as a transition between a discussion of
a cultural shift away from religious certainty, one's
environment, one's historical era, one's family history A) historical events and literary texts.
could all come to bear on the maze of human personality. B) a contested theory and scientific certainty.
Psychologists began to spend entire careers studying C) a neuroscientist's view and a psychologist's
50 human personalities, but for all these changes, the goal critique.
was sti!I the same: contain the human experience, find the D) a general theory and a specific application.
story that can encapsulate all of human complexity. If the
18. Based on information presented in lines 22-26, which
of the following would most likely be the title of a
study of human personality in the twentieth century?
A) The Tragic Flaw in Human Personality
B) Who We Are In Three Easy Steps
C) The Mirror and the Labyrinth of Personality
D) The Role of the American Civil War in History

19. The author refers to a "cultural shift" (line 46) to help

account for
A) the historically consistent understandings of
personality.
B) psychologists' desires to do away with
storytelling.
C) a general human distrust of psychological
theories.
D) the broad historical change in attitudes toward
personality.

20. As used in line 51, "contain" most nearly means

A) hold.
B) understand.
C) imprison.
D) restrain.

21. Which of the following best captures the main idea in

lines 56-58 ("Because ... we?")?
A) Our historical era is just as important as other
past eras.
B) People in the future will tell themselves different
stories from the ones we tell ourselves.
C) History is ultimately very similar to writing
fiction or poetry.
D) Life as we know it would be much different
without the need for narrative.

Reading Drills I 219

 Questions 22-33 are based on the following passage. of these marriages as interracial: particularly by the 1940s,
Toomer insisted that his race was "American" and by the
end of his life, he may have even identified as a white man.
In this passage, a literary critic discusses some of the These scraps are all historians have.
issues he encountered while researching the life of Jean By the 1960s, race activism reached its apex with
Toomer (/894-1967), an author from the early to mid­ such figures as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X.
twentieth century. Most famous as the author of the Black and white artists alike joined together in the fight
seminal book Cane (1923), Toomer was also a deeply that became known as the Civil Rights movement. By
private individual, whose views of race were often in that time, however, Jean Toomer was nestled in a deeply
conflict with those of others from his time. 55 private life in Doylestown, Penn., and was not one of the
voices in the fight for black equality. By then, and until his
death in 1967, Toomer was much more taken with local
Though lauded as a central figure in the Harlem
issues, and his main concern was with his church, the
Renaissance, Jean Toomer the man has remained a
Friend's Society of Quakers, and the high school students
mystery to literary historians. In an article published in 60 whom he taught there.
Line The Crisis in 1924, race leader W.E.B. DuBois pointed to
If Toomer's early literary output can be more
5 the mystery surrounding Toomer: "AU of his essays and
thoroughly understood than his later personal life, or his
stories, even when I do not understand them, have their
later racial identification, it can only be because Toomer
strange flashes of power, their numerous messages and
himself wanted it to be so. His own sense of race and
numberless reasons for being." Essayist William Stanley
65 personality was so complex that he likely did not want to
Braithwaite is unreserved in his praise for Toomer's major
become embroiled in debates that were literaliy so black
10 book, Cane (1921): "Cane is a book of gold and bronze, of
and white. In a 193] essay, T()Omer announced that "the
dusk and flame, of ecstasy and pain, and Jean Toomer is a
old divisions into white, black, brown,red, are outworn in
bright morning star of a new day of the race in literature."
this country. They have had their day. Now is the time of
Toomer gained huge accolades from the white literary
70 the birth of a new order, a new vision, a new ideal of man."
world as well, and well-known authors such as Sherwood
W hether we consider Toomer's view naive or not, there
15 Anderson and Waldo Frank considered him one of their
can be no question that he thought himself a part of this
own. But Toomer's full connection to the white world
"new order." Because Toomer was such a truly great artist,
remains a mystery, and critics have begun to wonder
literary historians will always long for more information
whether Toomer is the paragon of racial representation
75 about his life. Unfortunately, there's little hope more
that he was initially represented, by Braithwaite especially,
information will emerge,and Jean Toomer the man must
20 to be.
remain an inscrutable piece in our understanding of Jean
For many black artists in the I 930s and I 940s, Jean
Toomer the artist. Perhaps such inscrutability is good for
Toomer was an inspiration. He helped to broaden the
us, too. We should be wary of the rigid categories that
definition of what "race literature" could be. He was not so Toomer fought against all his life, and if anything, perhaps
constrained, as many other black authors of the time were,
Toomer's refusal to fit into these categories can help us to
25 to writing only about race oppression and race conf lict. He
modify our own.
could incorporate influences from white as well as black
artists, and he melded them into an innovative style that
mixed poetry, prose,jazz, folklore, and spiritualism. He
showed that an African American author didn't have to
30 be defined by his race but could enjoy, and even surpass,
the artistic freedom enjoyed by white artists. Furthermore,
he was able to cross over the color line to reach white
audiences, who, in the 1920s especially, remained 22. The author suggests that Toomer's relationship with
widely uninformed about cultural production by African the black community has remained a mystery to
35 Americans. literary historians (lines 2-3) because
Still, his relationship to civil rights and the African A) details of Toomer's later life are insufficient to
American community has been difficult to determine. explain his personal attitudes.
After the success of Cane, Toomer contributed only a few B) Toomer's fame in literary circles was not
more essays before withdrawing from the literary world acknowledged by white authors.
40 altogether. In the 1930s, he had nearly disappeared from C) Toomer's essays provide inconsistent
the literary scene, and his two marriages, in 1931 and representations of his views.
1934, were interracial, both to white women. Although D) evidence shows that Toomer worked against the
intermarriage between blacks and whites was still socially Civil Rights movement.
vilified at the time, Toomer's attitude toward this social
45 restriction is vague. Toomer himself may not have thought
23. In lines 3-16, the author's discussion ofToomer's 29. The word "taken" (line 57) most directly emphasizes
contemporaries and later artists is used to which aspect ofToomer's approach to race issues?
A) show how one particular era viewed the role of A) His disapproval of broad social changes
race in art. B) His ability to play both sides of an issue
B) give evidence of their views ofToomer's C) His focus on smaller matters
influence on black artists and thinkers. D) His eagerness to fight for broader causes
C) provide examples ofToomer's literary mastery
and experimentation.
D) list the challenges faced by black artists in 30. In lines 61-67, the author emphasizes which point
contemporary society. aboutToomer?
A) His contemporaries disparaged him for his
24. As used in line 9, "unreserved" most nearly means cowering attitude toward social equality
A) vacant. B) His attitude toward race was rooted in private
B) available. and philosophical concerns
C) garrulous. C) His public attitude toward race differed sharply
D) complete. from his private views
D) His commitment to racial equality influenced his
political views on race
25. The author mentions Waldo Frank and Sherwood
Anderson (lines 14-15) as indications of the
A) urgency with whichToomer courted a white 31. As used in lines 66-67, "black and white" most nearly
readership. means
B) limited supply of published reviews ofToomer's
A) faintly tinged.
first novel.
B) socially progressive.
C) types of influences upon which Toomer drew in
C) racially complex.
writing Cane.
D) reductivel.y simple.
D) appeal thatToomer had to both black and white
readers.

32. Which resource, if it existed, would be most helpful

26. The author most directly supports the statement in for the task described in lines 75-78 ("Unfortunately
lines 21-22 ("For many ... inspiration") by citing ... artist")?
A) influences from whichToomer drew inspiration. A) Accurate information about the progress of
B) the reception ofToomer's work by contemporary social equality in theUnited States
black critics. B) Toomer's personal diary or autobiography
C) lists ofToomer's most famous published works. C) Records of household income kept byToomer's
D) aspects ofToomer's art that showed a new way. wives
D) Statements from later authors about the
27. "These scraps" (line 49) most directly refer to importance ofToomer's influence
evidence that
A) gives actual details ofToomer's biography.
B) paints a complete picture ofToomer's life. 33. The final phrase in lines 80-82("if ... own") primarily
C) frees literary historians to speculate. emphasizes which of the following points?
D) reaffirms the messages found inToomer's work. A) Toomer identified as white at the end of his life
to distance himself from Civil Rights.
28. In lines 50-53, the author discusses race activism B) Those in the Civil Rights movement
primarily to were correct to dismissToomer as a
counterproductive force.
A) demonstrate thatToomer's racial attitudes were C) Toomer had more advanced views than most
atypical. African American authors from the 1920s.
B) praise the achievements of the Civil Rights D) Toomer's personal views on race remain
movement. complex even in our own day.
C) refer to a major equality movement in American
history.
D) state thatToomer had no interest in
contemporary race relations.
Drills I 221