501 Critical Reading Questions

Critical Reading Questions

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326.
a. In lines 10–12 of Passage 2, the author describes how the blues
came to be called the blues—thus neologism means a new word
or new meaning or use of a word.
327.
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.
328.
d. The author states that the blues was a music perfectly suited for a
nation on the brink of the Civil Rights movement because 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.
329.
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 roll is 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.
330.
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 purportedly in 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.
331.
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.
332.
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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