Wheatley’s poems and her triumph over the odds, but the first set of lines in this answer
discusses the African American tradition more generally, so (A) is not correct. Choice (B)
discusses Wheatley’s enslavement and her positive opinions about it but does not discuss
her popularity. Eliminate (B). Like (A), (C) refers to the current popularity of Wheatley’s
poems and her triumph over the odds, but the first set of lines in the answer does not
directly support the answer to question 4. Eliminate (C). Choice (D) describes the
prominent figures who admired Wheatley’s work, as well as the difficult life circumstances
that plagued her despite her literary fame; therefore, (D) provides the best support for the
correct answer to question 4 and is the correct answer.
B Frederick Douglass is mentioned as someone who produced a slave narrative as opposed
to a piece of poetry or fiction. This reference serves to contrast Douglass’s writing with the
writing of those who did not write slave narratives. Therefore, (B) is correct. The passage
does not describe Douglass’s life story or compare his life to Wheatley’s, so (A) is
incorrect. The passage does not indicate that Douglass’s or Wheatley’s writings have been
incorrectly studied or categorized in literary history, so (C) is incorrect. The passage does
not describe any personal friendly connection between Douglass and Wheatley, so (D) is
incorrect.
A In the second paragraph, the passage states that the exact circumstances are unknown, and
then describes biographical details of Wheatley’s life. This indicates that the
“circumstances” the author describes are related to the biographical details of Wheatley’s
life. The passage also states that Wheatley scholars hypothesize that it was either modern-
day Gambia or Senegal. This indicates that the specific details of Wheatley’s biography
are being researched and debated by scholars and are not yet certain. This best supports
(A). The passage does not discuss any unintended consequences of the actions described,
so (B) is incorrect. The passage does not describe climate or weather conditions during this
time, so (C) is not correct. Although the passage does refer to historical events in that the
events of Wheatley’s life occurred in history, the passage seeks specific details of
Wheatley’s biography instead of general historical context. Thus, (D) is incorrect.
A The passage states in lines 41–47 that Wheatley had a special aptitude for the subjects she
studied, and that her aptitude was so great that the Wheatleys allowed her to focus on these
subjects. This best supports (A). While she had an interest in poetry, that interest is not the
focus of this portion of the passage, so (B) is incorrect. This passage describes the
Wheatleys’ kindness toward Wheatley in allowing her to focus on her studies, so (C) is
incorrect. The passage does not indicate that the Wheatleys’ decision to facilitate
Wheatley’s interest in academics was strange or confusing, so (D) is incorrect.
B The passage describes John Wheatley as progressive in lines 37–41, stating that this term is
a cruel oxymoron today. This indicates that there is a difference between how the term
progressive was applied in Wheatley’s time and how it is understood today. This use of
progressive continues in lines 65–69, which state that Wheatley was freed in a progressive
state. This would lead us to believe that her circumstances would be good, according to our
current definition of progressive. However, Wheatley continued to face adversity, which
suggests that the term progressive was used differently in the two different periods. The