text b
view of citizenship
the liberal view of democratic citizenship that developed in the 17th and 18th centuries was fundamentally different from that of the classical greeks.the pursuit of private interest with as little interference as possible from government was seen as the road to human happiness and progress rather than the public obligations and involvement in the collective community that were emphasized by the greeks.freedom was to be realized by limiting the scope of governmental activity and political obligation and not through immersion in the collective life of the polis.the basic role of the citizen was to select governmental leaders and keep the powers and scope of public authority in check.on the liberal view,the rights of citizens against the state were the focus of special emphasis.
over time,the liberal democratic notion of citizenship developed in two directions.first,there was a movement to increase the proportion of members of society who were eligible to participate as citizens-especially through extending the right of suffrage——and to ensure the basic political equality of all.second,there was a broadening of the legitimate activities of government and a use of governmental power to redress imbalances in social and economic life.political citizenship became an instrument through which groups and classes with sufficient numbers of votes could use the state power to enhance their social and economic well-being.
within the general liberal view of democratic citizenship,tensions have developed over the degree to which government can and should be used as an instrument for promoting happiness and well-being.political philosopher martin diamond has categorized two views of democracy as follows.on one hand,there is the “l(fā)ibertarian” perspective that stresses the private pursuit of happiness and emphasizes the necessity for restraint on government and protection of individual liberties.on the other hand,there is the “majoritarian” view that emphasizes the “task of the government to uplift and aid the common man against the malefactors of great wealth.”the tensions between these two views are very evident today.taxpayer revolts and calls for smaller government and less government regulation clash with demands for greater government involvement in the economic marketplace and the social sphere.
18.the author's primary purpose is to____ .
a. contrast different notions of citizenship
b.introduce means of redressing an imbalance of power
c.study ancient concepts of citizenship
d.criticize modern libertarian democracy
19.it can be inferred from the passage that the greek word polis means.
a.private club b.political community
c.family life d.military service
text c
about the book black fiction
roger rosenblatt's book black fiction,in attempting to apply literary rather than sociopolitical criteria to its subject,successfully alters the approach taken by most previous studies.as rosenblatt notes,criticism of black writing has often served as a pretext for expounding on black history.addison gayle's recent work,for example,judges the value of black fiction by overly political standards,rating each work according to the notions of black identity which it propounds.
although fiction assuredly springs from political circumstances,its authors react to those circumstances in ways other than ideological,and talking about novels and stories primarily as instruments of ideology circumvents much of the fictional enterprise.rosenblatt's literary analysis discloses affinities and connections among works of black fiction which solely political studies have overlooked or ignored.
writing acceptable criticism of black fiction,however,presupposes giving satisfactory answers to a number of questions.first of all,is there a sufficient reason,other than the racial identity of the authors,to group together works by black authors?second,how does black fiction make itself distinct from other modern fiction with which it is largely contemporaneous?rosenblatt shows that black fiction constitutes a distinct body of writing that has an identifiable,coherent literary tradition.looking at novels written by blacks over the last eight years,he discovers recurring concerns and designs independent of chronology.these structures are thematic,and they spring,not surprisingly,from the central fact that the black characters in these novels exist in a predominantly white culture,whether they try to conform to that culture or rebel against it.
black fiction does leave some aesthetic questions open.rosenblatt's thematic analysis permits considerable objectivity;he even explicitly states that it is not his intention to judge the merit of the various words——yet his reluctance seems misplaced,especially since an attempt to appraise might have led to interesting results.for instance,some of the novels appear to be structurally diffuse.is this a defect,or are the authors working out of,or trying to forge,a different kind of aethetic?in addition,the style of some black novels,like jean toomer's cane,verges on expressionism or surrealism.does this technique provide a counterpoint to the prevalent theme that portrays the fate againt which black heroes are pitted,a theme usually conveyed by more naturalistic mades of expression?
in spite of such omissions,what rosenblatt does include in his discussion makes for an astute and worthwhile study.black fiction surveys a wide variety of novels,bringing to our attention in the process some fascinating and little known works like james weldon johnson's autobiography of an ex-colored man.its argument is tightly constructed,and is forthright.lucid style exemplifies level headed and penetrating criticism.
20.the author of the passage objects to criticism of black fiction like that by addison gayle because it ____.
a.substitutes political for literary criteria in evaluating such fiction
b.emphasizes purely literary aspects of such fiction
c.misinterprets the ideological content of such fiction
d.misunderstands the notions of black identity contained in such fiction
21.the author's discussion of black fiction can be best described as____ .
a.critical but admiring b.argumentative but unforced
c.ironic and deprecating d.pedantic and contentious
22.the author uses all of the following in the discussion of black fiction except____.
a.definition of terms b.rhetorical questions
c.specific examples d.comparison and contrast
view of citizenship
the liberal view of democratic citizenship that developed in the 17th and 18th centuries was fundamentally different from that of the classical greeks.the pursuit of private interest with as little interference as possible from government was seen as the road to human happiness and progress rather than the public obligations and involvement in the collective community that were emphasized by the greeks.freedom was to be realized by limiting the scope of governmental activity and political obligation and not through immersion in the collective life of the polis.the basic role of the citizen was to select governmental leaders and keep the powers and scope of public authority in check.on the liberal view,the rights of citizens against the state were the focus of special emphasis.
over time,the liberal democratic notion of citizenship developed in two directions.first,there was a movement to increase the proportion of members of society who were eligible to participate as citizens-especially through extending the right of suffrage——and to ensure the basic political equality of all.second,there was a broadening of the legitimate activities of government and a use of governmental power to redress imbalances in social and economic life.political citizenship became an instrument through which groups and classes with sufficient numbers of votes could use the state power to enhance their social and economic well-being.
within the general liberal view of democratic citizenship,tensions have developed over the degree to which government can and should be used as an instrument for promoting happiness and well-being.political philosopher martin diamond has categorized two views of democracy as follows.on one hand,there is the “l(fā)ibertarian” perspective that stresses the private pursuit of happiness and emphasizes the necessity for restraint on government and protection of individual liberties.on the other hand,there is the “majoritarian” view that emphasizes the “task of the government to uplift and aid the common man against the malefactors of great wealth.”the tensions between these two views are very evident today.taxpayer revolts and calls for smaller government and less government regulation clash with demands for greater government involvement in the economic marketplace and the social sphere.
18.the author's primary purpose is to____ .
a. contrast different notions of citizenship
b.introduce means of redressing an imbalance of power
c.study ancient concepts of citizenship
d.criticize modern libertarian democracy
19.it can be inferred from the passage that the greek word polis means.
a.private club b.political community
c.family life d.military service
text c
about the book black fiction
roger rosenblatt's book black fiction,in attempting to apply literary rather than sociopolitical criteria to its subject,successfully alters the approach taken by most previous studies.as rosenblatt notes,criticism of black writing has often served as a pretext for expounding on black history.addison gayle's recent work,for example,judges the value of black fiction by overly political standards,rating each work according to the notions of black identity which it propounds.
although fiction assuredly springs from political circumstances,its authors react to those circumstances in ways other than ideological,and talking about novels and stories primarily as instruments of ideology circumvents much of the fictional enterprise.rosenblatt's literary analysis discloses affinities and connections among works of black fiction which solely political studies have overlooked or ignored.
writing acceptable criticism of black fiction,however,presupposes giving satisfactory answers to a number of questions.first of all,is there a sufficient reason,other than the racial identity of the authors,to group together works by black authors?second,how does black fiction make itself distinct from other modern fiction with which it is largely contemporaneous?rosenblatt shows that black fiction constitutes a distinct body of writing that has an identifiable,coherent literary tradition.looking at novels written by blacks over the last eight years,he discovers recurring concerns and designs independent of chronology.these structures are thematic,and they spring,not surprisingly,from the central fact that the black characters in these novels exist in a predominantly white culture,whether they try to conform to that culture or rebel against it.
black fiction does leave some aesthetic questions open.rosenblatt's thematic analysis permits considerable objectivity;he even explicitly states that it is not his intention to judge the merit of the various words——yet his reluctance seems misplaced,especially since an attempt to appraise might have led to interesting results.for instance,some of the novels appear to be structurally diffuse.is this a defect,or are the authors working out of,or trying to forge,a different kind of aethetic?in addition,the style of some black novels,like jean toomer's cane,verges on expressionism or surrealism.does this technique provide a counterpoint to the prevalent theme that portrays the fate againt which black heroes are pitted,a theme usually conveyed by more naturalistic mades of expression?
in spite of such omissions,what rosenblatt does include in his discussion makes for an astute and worthwhile study.black fiction surveys a wide variety of novels,bringing to our attention in the process some fascinating and little known works like james weldon johnson's autobiography of an ex-colored man.its argument is tightly constructed,and is forthright.lucid style exemplifies level headed and penetrating criticism.
20.the author of the passage objects to criticism of black fiction like that by addison gayle because it ____.
a.substitutes political for literary criteria in evaluating such fiction
b.emphasizes purely literary aspects of such fiction
c.misinterprets the ideological content of such fiction
d.misunderstands the notions of black identity contained in such fiction
21.the author's discussion of black fiction can be best described as____ .
a.critical but admiring b.argumentative but unforced
c.ironic and deprecating d.pedantic and contentious
22.the author uses all of the following in the discussion of black fiction except____.
a.definition of terms b.rhetorical questions
c.specific examples d.comparison and contrast