501 Critical Reading Questions

Critical Reading Questions
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2 6 5
mony that comes from a shared trading language, while each
nation has its own specific word for potlatch.
485.
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.
486.
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.
487.
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.
488.
c. The passage states in lines 26–27 that the visitors are seen as
aggressors and 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 victims in the exchange.
489.
d. Lines 17–24 state the ways in which a kula object gains value;
special shells are not mentioned.
490.
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.
491.
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.
492.
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 e is
more whimsical than the serious tone of each passage. Choice b
is incorrect because neither article draws conclusions about tra-
ditional societies in general.
493.
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 lesson ironically in that a lack of diver-
sity is not something on which many educators would pride
themselves.
494.
e. A sea change is a transformation. This can be inferred from the
next sentence, which states that colleges adopted policies of
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