501 Critical Reading Questions

(Sean Pound) #1
mony that comes from a shared trading language, while each
nation has its own specific word for potlatch.


  1. a. The passage states that guests were expected to give a potlatch
    with gifts of equal value to what they received. This arrange-
    ment can best be described as reciprocal. The other choices are
    not supported by the passage.

  2. d.The author describes the ceremony in mostly neutral terms but
    in the last paragraph emphasizes the positive aspects of the tra-
    dition, which indicates a degree of respect.

  3. e.The passage explicitly states in lines 15–16 that a man will know
    by reputation all the men in his kula ring. None of the other
    choices is explicitly stated in the passage.

  4. c. The passage states in lines 26–27 that the visitors are seen as
    aggressorsand are met with ritual hostility. This indicates that the
    visitors and hosts are playing the roles of aggressor and victims.
    The author uses quotes to indicate that the hosts are not really
    victims, but might call themselves the victimsin the exchange.

  5. d.Lines 17–24 state the ways in which a kula object gains value;
    special shells are not mentioned.

  6. a. The final paragraph of each passage explicitly states the ways in
    which these ceremonies, or rituals, maintain community ties.
    None of the other choices is true for both passages.

  7. b.Both authors specifically discuss the non-monetary value of
    each ceremony. In Passage 1, lines 33–36 the author states, Giv-
    ing wealth—not accumulating wealth, as is prized in Western cul-
    ture—was a means of cementing leadership, affirming status,... In
    Passage 2, lines 35–39 the author states, The objects... have no
    value, and yet, this ceremonial exchange has numerous tangible bene-
    fits. None of the other choices is supported by the texts.

  8. c. Both potlatches and the kula ring involve giving and receiving,
    and both of the societies that participate in these rituals can be
    described as traditional. The tone of the title in choice eis
    more whimsical than the serious tone of each passage. Choiceb
    is incorrect because neither article draws conclusions about tra-
    ditional societies in general.

  9. b.The sentence preceding this phrase discusses the homogenous,
    or uniform, makeup of the student body in the 1960s. The
    author is using the word lessonironically in that a lack of diver-
    sity is not something on which many educators would pride
    themselves.

  10. e.A sea changeis a transformation. This can be inferred from the
    next sentence, which states that colleges adopted policies of

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