Test 3

Each of the following sentences contains one or two blanks; each blank indicates that a
word or set of words has been left out. Below the sentence are five words or phraseso
lettered A through E. Select the word or set of words that best completes the sentence.

1. Archaeologists are involved in ---- Mayan temples in Central America, uncovering the old
ruins in order to learn more about the civilization they represent.
(A) demolishing (B) incapacitating (C) excavating (D) worshiping (E) adapting

2. Afiaid that the ---- nature of the plays being presented would corrupt the morals of their
audiences. the Puritans closed the theaters rn 1642.
(A) rnediocre (B) lantastic (C) profound (D) lewd (E) witty

3. The governor's imposition of martial lar,v on the once-peaceful community was the last
strar.r''. so far as the lawmakers were concerned: the legislature refused to function until
mar"tial law lvas ----.
(A) reallirmed (B) reiterated (C) inaugurated (D) rescinded (E) prolonged

4. The sergcant suspected that the private was ---- in order to avoid going on the ---- march
sclrccltrlcd lbr that nrorrring.
(A) malingering...arduous (B) proselytizing...interrninable (C) invalidating...threatened (D)
exerrplarl'... leisurely (E) di sgruntled... strenuous

5. l'he incidence of smoking among women, fbrmerly ----, has grown to such a degree that
lung cancer. once a minor problem, has become the chief ---- of cancer-related deaths among
wolren.
(A) negligibie...cause (B) minor...antidote (C) preeminent...cure (D) relevant...rnodifier (E)
pe rvasir e...opponent

6. 'fhe columnist was almost ---- when he mentioned his fiiends. but he was unpleasaut and
even ---- when he discussed people who irritated him.
(A) recalcitrant...laconic (B) reverential...acrimonious (Cl) sensitive...retnorseful (D)
insipid...militant (E) benevolent...stoical

7. An experienced politician rvho knew better than to launch a campaign in troubled political
*'aters. she intended to wait fbr a more ---- occasion before she announced her plans.
(A) propitious (B) provocative (C) unseemly (D) questionable (E) theoretical

8. In one instance illustrating Metternich's consuming ----, he employed several naval

calttains to purchase books abroad for him, eventually adding an entire Oriental library to his
---- collection.
(A) tbrcsight...indifl-erent (B) altruism...eclectic (C) bibliomania...burgeoning (D)
avarice...ir.radvertent (E) egocentricity...magnattimous

Questions 9 and 10 are based on the following passage.

After the mine or.r'ner had stripped the vegetation fiom twelve acres of extremely steep land
at a creek head, a 1-lash flood tumbled masses of mining debris into the swollen stream.
ThoLrgh no lives were lost. the flood destroyed all the homes in the valley. When damage
suits brought substantial verdicts favoring the victims, the company took its case to the more
sympathetic tribunal at Frankfort. The state judges proclaimed that the masses of soil.
uprooted trees, and slabs ol rock had been harmless until set in motion by the fbrce of water;
thus they soleninly declared the damage an act of God-for which no coal operator, God-
lbaring or otherwise. could be held responsible.

9. The word "sympathetic" most nearly means

(A) scnsitive (B) favorably inclined (C) showing empathy (D) humanitarian (E) dispassionate

10. In describing the coal operator as "God-fearing or otherwise", the author is most likely
being
(A) revcrent (B) pragrnatic (C) fearful (D) ironic (E) naive

Questions I I and 12 are based on the following passage.

In this excertrtt .t'i'om Jane Austen s' The Watsons, the elderly Jv[r. Walson cliscusses a v*i.sil to
church.

"l do not know when I have heard a discourse more to my mind," continued Mr. Watsott, "'or
one better delivered. FIe reads extremely well, with great propriety and in a very impressive
ffranner; and at the same time without any theatrical grimace or violence. I own. I do not like
rluch action in the pulpit. i do not like the studied air and arlificial inflections of voice, which
your very popular preachers have. A simple delivery is much better calculated to inspire
devotion. and shows a much better taste. Mr. Howard read like a scholar and a gentleman."

-l'he
1 i. passage suggests that Mr. Watson would most likely agree with which statetnent?
(A) A dramatic style of'preaching appeals most to discerning listeners.
(B) Mr. Howard is too much the gentleman-scholar to be a good preacher.
(C) A proper preacher avoids extremes in delivering his sermons.
(D) There is no use preaching to anyone unless you happen to catch him when he is ill.
(E) A man often preaches his beliefs precisely when he has lost thern.

12. The word "studied" most nearly means

(A) alfected (B) academic (Cl) amateurish (D) learned (E) diligent

Questions 13-24 are based on the following passage.

Ilock musicians often a/fect the role of social revolulionaries, The .following pussoge is luken
front un unpublishetl thesis on the potenlial of rock and roll music to conlribute to politic:ul
crnc{ sociul change.

It sl-rould be clear tiom the previous arguments that rock and roll cannot escape its role as a
part o1'popular culture. One important part of that role is its commercial nature. Rock and roll
is "'big corporation business in America and around the globe. As David De Voss has noted:
'Over fitiy U.S. rock artists annually earn fiom $2 million to $6 million. At last count, thirty-
f-rve artists and flfieen additional groups make fiom three to seven times more than America's
liighest paid business executive."' Perhaps the most damning argumeut against rock and roll
as a political catalyst is suggested by John Berger in an essay on adverlising. Berger argues
that "pubiicity turns consumption into a substitute for democracy. The choice of what one
eats (or wears or drives) takes the place of significant political choice." To the extent that
(C) refute the assertion that rock and roll stars are underpaid
(D) support the view that rock and roll is a major industry
(E) indicate the lack of limits on the wages of popular stars

14. 'fhe word "consumption" means

(A) supposition (B) beginning a task (C) using up goods (D) advertising a product (E)
culmination

15. Burchill and Parsons most likely run the words "washing-machinei spot-cream/rock-
band'' together to indicate that
(A) to the consumer they are all comrnodities
(B) they are products with universal appeal
(C) advertisers need to rnarket them diff-erently
(D) rock music eliminates conventional distinctions
(E) they are equally necessary parts of modern society

16. The word "plastic" in the Burchill and Parsons quotation is being used
(A) lyrically (B) spontaneously (C) metaphorically (D) atfirmatively (E) skeptically

17.Burchill and Parsons primarily regard consumers as

(A) invariably dimwitted (B) markedly ambivalent (C) compulsively spendthrift (D)
unfarliliar with commerce (E) vulnerable to manipulation

18. The author's comments about Bob Dylan chiefly suggest that

(A) Dylan readily abandoned political rock and roll for folk music
(B) fblk music gave voice to political concerns long befbre rock and roll music did
(C) rock and roll swiflly replaced folk music in the public's allbctions
(D) Dylan lacked the necessary skills to convey his political message musically
(E) Dylan betrayed his f-ans' faith in him by turning away from political comtnentary

19. Wiener's statement suggests that

(A) .lohn had no desire to imitate more successful performers
(B) .lohn was unable to write Number One songs without help from Paul
(C) because Paul lacked political values, he wrote fewer Number One songs than John did
(D) as an apolitical perfbrmer, Paul suff-ered less strain than John did
(E) John disliked "Whatever Gets You Through the Night" because it had been composed by
Paul

20. "starting Over" and the Double Fantasy album are presented as examples of
(A) bold applications of .Tohn's radical philosophy
(B) overtly political recordings without general appeal
(C) protitable successes lacking political content
(D) uninspired and unpopular rock and roll records
(E) unusual recordings that effected widespread change

21. fhe word "maintain" rneans

(A) repair (B) contend (C) subsidize (D) brace (E) keep

22.Tom Greene of the Mekons feels particularly frustrated because

rock and roll is big business. and that it is marketed like other consumer goods, rock and roll
also serves this role. Our fieedom to choose the music we are sold rnay be distracting us from
more important concerns. It is this tendency of rock and roll, fought against but also fulfilled
by punk, that .lulie Burchill and Tony Parsons describe tn The Boy Lookecl at Johnnl': The
Obitttury o./'Rock and Roll. Never mind, kid, there'll soon be another washing-rnachine/spot-
crearn/rock-band on the market to solve all your problems and keep you quiet/off the
street/distracted from the real enemy/content till the next pay-day. Anyhow, God Save Rock
ar-rd Roll. . . it made you a consulner, a potential Moron. . . IT'S ONLY ROCK AND ROLL
AND IT'S PLASTIC, PLASTIC, YES IT lS!!!!!! This is a fiustrating conclusion to reach,
and it is especially frustrating fbr rock and roll artists who are dissatished with the political
systems in which they live. lf rock and roll's ability to promote political change is hampered
by its popularity, the factor that gives it the potential to reach significant nutnbers of people,
to w'hat extent can rock and roll arlists act politically? Apafl fiom charitable endeavors, with
which rock and ro11 artists have been quite successful at raising money for various causes, the
potential fbr significant political activity promoting change appears quite limited. T'he history
of rock and roll is filled with rock artists who abandoned, at least on vinyl, their political
cornmitment. Bob Dylan, who, by introducing the explicit politics of folk music to rock and
roll. can be credited with introducing the political rock and roll of the sixties, qr"rickly
abandoned politics for more personal issues. John Lennon, who was perhaps more successtul
than any other rock and roll artist at getting political material to the popular audience, still
had a hard time walking the line between being overtly political but unpopular and being
apolitical and extremely popular. In 1969 "Give Peace a Chance" reached number fourteen
on the Billboard singles charts. 1971 saw "Power to the People" at number eleven. But the
apolitical "lnstant Karrna" reached number three on the charts one year earlier. "lmagiue.''
which mixed personal and political concerns, also reached number three one year later.
Lenncrn's most political alburn, Some Time in New York City, produced no hits. His biggest
hits. "Whatever Gets You Through the Night" and "Stafting Over." which both reached
numbcr one on the charts, are apolitical. Jon Wiener, in his biography of Lennon. argues that
on "Whatever Gets You Through the Night," "it seemed like John was turning himsell into
Paui. the person without political values, r,vho put out Number One songs and who managed
to sleep soundly. Maybe that's why John (Lennon) told Elton John that 'Whatever Gets You
Ihrough the Night' was 'one of my least favorites."' When, after leaving music for flve
years, Lennon returned in 1980 with the best-selling Double Fantasy album, the subject of his
writing was "caring, sharing, and being a whole person." The politically motivated rock and
roll artist's other option is to maintain his political commitment without fooling himself as to
the ultimate irnpact his work will have. lf his music is not doomed to obscurity by the
challenge it presents to its listeners the arlist is lucky. But even such luck can do nothing to
protect his work fiom the misinterpretation it will be subjected to once it is popular. Tom
Greene of the Mekons expresses the frustration such artists feel w'hen he says, "You just
throw your hands up in horror and try and . . . I don't know. I mean, what can you do? How
can you possibly avoid being apart of the power relations that exist?" The artist's challenge
is to /r1,,to comrnunicate with his audience. But he can only take responsibility for his own
intentions. Ultimately, it is the popular audience that must take responsibility for what it does
with the artist"s work. The rock and roli afiist cannot cause political change. But, if he is very
lucky. the popular audience might let him contribute to the change it makes.

13. De Voss's comparison of the salaries of rock stars and corporate executives is cited
primarily in order to
(A) express the author's lamiliarity with current pay scales
(B) argue in fbvor of higher pay for musical arlists
(A) his work has lost its initial popularity
(B) he cannot escape involvement in the power structure
(C) his original commitment to political change has diminished
(D) he lacks the vocabulary to make coherent political statements
(E,) he is horrifled by the price he must pay for political success

23. The author attributes the success of the politically motivated rock and roll arlist to
(A) political inf.luence
(B) challenging material
(C) good fofiune
(D) personal contacts
(E) textual misinterpretation

24. The author concludes that the rock and ro11 artist's contribution to political change is
(A) irnrnediate (B) decisive (C) indirect (D) irresponsible (E) blatant