GRE Question of The Day: Reading comprehension

Although a historical lack of access to formal Spanish-language education initially limited the opportunities of some Chicanos to hone their skills as writers of Spanish, their bilingual culture clearly fostered an exuberant and compelling oral tradition. It has thus generally been by way of the emphasis on oral literary creativity that these Chicano writers, whose [...]

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Written by Take GRE Team on September 4th, 2008 with 21 comments.
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Although a historical lack of access to formal Spanish-language education initially limited the opportunities of some Chicanos to hone their skills as writers of Spanish, their bilingual culture clearly fostered an exuberant and compelling oral tradition. It has thus generally been by way of the emphasis on oral literary creativity that these Chicano writers, whose English-language works are sometimes uninspired, developed the powerful and arresting language that characterized their Spanish-language works. This Spanish-English difference is not surprising. When writing in Spanish, these authors stayed close to the spoken traditions of their communities where publication, support, and instructive response would come quickly in local or regional newspapers. Works in English, however, often required the elimination of nuance or colloquialism, the adoption of a formal tone, and the adjustment of themes or ideas to satisfy the different demands of national publications.

1.The passage is primarily concerned with doing which of the following?
(A) Debating the historical value of a literary movement
(B) Describing and accounting for a difference in literary styles
(C) Explaining a publishing decision and evaluating its results
(D) Analyzing the expectations of a particular group of readers
(E) Classifying several kinds of literary production

2. According to the author, the Chicano oral experience contributed directly to which of the following characteristics in the work of some Chicano writers?
(A) A sensitivity to and adeptness in using the spoken language
(B) A tendency to appear in national rather than regional publications
(C) A style reflecting the influence of Spanish language education
(D) A reliance on a rather formal style
(E) A capacity to appeal to a broad range of audiences

3.Which of the following best describes the function of the last two sentences of the passage ?
(A) They expand on an advantage mentioned in the first sentence of the passage.
(B) They outline the consequences of a limitation discussed in the first sentence of the passage.
(C) They provide explicit examples drawn from the oral and the written works mentioned in the second sentence of the passage .
(D) They explain the causes of a phenomenon mentioned in the third sentence of the passage.
(E) They limit the applicability of a generalization made in the third sentence of the passage .

4.The passage suggests that which of the following was probably characteristic of the “national publications” mentioned in line 19?
(A) They primarily presented scholarly material of little interest to a general audience.
(B) They sometimes published articles treating controversial themes.
(C) They encouraged authors to feature local issues in articles in order to increase circulation.
(D) They included a significant number of articles by minority authors.
(E) They took a stylistically formal approach to material of interest to a general audience.

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GRE Question of the Day by Take GRE Team on September 4th, 2008 with 21 answers.
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