501 Critical Reading Questions

Critical Reading Questions
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for a nation on the brink of the Civil Rights movement—a kind of
music that had the power to cross boundaries, to heal wounds, and to
offer hope to a new generation of Americans.
324.
In Passage 1, the author’s main goal is to
a. solve the mystery of the genesis of Johnson’s talent.
b. provide a detailed description of Johnson’s music and style.
c. provide a brief overview of Johnson’s life and influence.
d. prove that Johnson should be recognized as the greatest blues
musician who ever lived.
e. explain how Johnson’s music impacted the world of rock and roll.
325.
The information provided in the passage suggests that Johnson
a. really did make a deal with the devil.
b. was determined to become a great guitarist, whatever the cost.
c. wasn’t as talented as we have been led to believe.
d. disappeared because he had a breakdown.
e. owes his success to Son House and Willie Brown.
326.
The word neologism in Passage 2, line 10 means
a. a new word or use of a word.
b. a grassroots musical form.
c. a fictional character or fictitious setting.
d. the origin or source of something.
c. the evolution of a person, place, or thing.
327.
In Passage 2, the sentence People all across America—black and white,
young and old, listened to songs with lyrics that were intensely honest and
personal, songs that told about any number of things that give us the
blues: loneliness, betrayal, unrequited love, a run of bad luck, being out of
work or away from home or broke or broken hearted (lines 43–47), the
author is