501 Critical Reading Questions

(Sean Pound) #1

  1. a. In lines 10–12 of Passage 2, the author describes how the blues
    came to be called the blues—thus neologismmeans a new word
    or new meaning or use of a word.

  2. d.This sentence states that the blues remakes were enjoyed by all
    kinds of people—black and white, young and old(line 43)—and
    suggests why the songs were so popular by describing how the
    lyrics touched a common emotional chord in listeners, all of
    whom have had the blues from one or more of the sources listed
    in the sentence.

  3. d.The author states that the blues was a music perfectly suited for a
    nation on the brink of the Civil Rights movementbecause it was
    music that had the power to cross boundaries, to heal wounds, and to
    offer hope to a new generation of Americans(lines 47–50). The pre-
    vious sentence states that the music was popular with both the
    black and white, young and old(line 43). Thus, the author suggests
    that this shared musical experience helped promote understand-
    ing across racial boundaries and thereby ease racial tensions.

  4. b.Neither author explicitly states that Robert Johnson is the best
    blues guitarist of his era, although this is implied by the author
    of Passage 1, who states that Johnson’s impact on the world of rock
    and rollis indisputable(lines 3–4) and quotes Eric Clapton as say-
    ing Johnson is the most important blues musician who ever lived
    (lines 8–9). However, the author of Passage 2 simply lists John-
    son in the same sentence as his mentors Son House and Willie
    Brown (lines 33–34), without suggesting that any one of these
    artists was better than the other.

  5. c. Passage 1 states from the beginning that there is little informa-
    tion about Johnson and that the information that is available is as
    much rumor as fact(lines 2–3). There is also no definitive answer
    regarding how Johnson acquired his talent (paragraph 4), and
    the author uses the word purportedlyin lines 34–35 to further
    emphasize the speculative nature of the narrative. Passage 2, on
    the other hand, provides many specific facts in the form of
    names and dates to present a text that is factual and assertive.

  6. a. Passage 1 describes the life and influence of one specific blues
    artist, while Passage 2 provides a general overview of the history
    of the blues.

  7. c. At the end of Passage 1, the author describes the reason so
    many artists record Johnson’s songs: his music capture[s] the very
    essence of the blues, transforming our pain and suffering with the
    healing magic of his guitar(lines 41–42). This sentence “proves”
    the idea stated in Passage 2 that ‘the blues’ is something of a

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