1. The company's steering committee, reluctant to be held to any specific commitments, released a strategic plan that was deliberately ________.
A. unpopular
B. repetitive
C. stringent
D. inflexible
E. nebulous Correct
Explanation
Nebulous' means vague or unclear, which aligns with a committee avoiding specific commitments to maintain flexibility. 'Unpopular' suggests dislike, not intent; 'repetitive' implies redundancy; 'stringent' means strict; and 'inflexible' suggests rigidity, none of which fit the deliberate avoidance of commitment as well as 'nebulous'.
2. Which of the following can be inferred about the 'organizing principle'?
A. It facilitated a collective and chronological understanding of Black-authored texts. Correct
B. It eventually altered the way most literary critics understood the nature of authorship.
C. It was innovative in that it treated younger writers and established writers as literary equals.
D. It highlighted connections between Black-authored texts and texts by other American authors.
E. It was not entirely compatible with the principles underlying the later field of African American literary studies.
Explanation
Porter's use of date as the organizing principle, including collective works like hymnbooks, shifted focus to texts across eras, enabling a collective and chronological understanding. B is too broad, as the passage doesn't claim most critics' views changed. C is incorrect, as the principle focused on dates, not equality of writers. D is unsupported, as connections to other American texts aren't mentioned. E contradicts the passage, as Porter's work laid foundations for the field.
3. The passage suggests that 'the African Union Church's hymn book' was
A. a strong but unacknowledged influence on subsequent works by Black authors.
B. did not conform to the prevailing critical criteria to be classified as literature in the 1920s. Correct
C. was read more widely in the 1920s than it had been in the decade of its publication.
D. was a well-known example of early African American literature before Porter's work on the field.
E. did not have its correct date of publication recognized until Porter's bibliography was released.
Explanation
The passage implies the hymnbook, as a collectively written work, didn't fit the 1920s' narrow view of literature, which focused on individual authorship and exemplary form. A, C, D, and E are unsupported, as the passage doesn't mention influence, readership, prior fame, or date misrecognition.
4. While Buddhist master Yingyang (1861-1940) considered Chinese traditions and Buddhist scriptures sufficient justification for promulgating vegetarianism, he was ________ arguments from a health perspective, acknowledging various ailments associated with meat consumption.
A. wary of
B. circumspect about
C. receptive to Correct
D. disconcerted by
E. ardent about
F. amenable to
Explanation
Receptive to' means open to, fitting Yingyang's acknowledgment of health arguments despite prioritizing tradition. 'Wary of' and 'circumspect about' suggest caution, 'disconcerted by' implies unease, 'ardent about' means enthusiastic, and 'amenable to' suggests willingness to change, none of which fit as well.
5. In mid-nineteenth-century Paris, some independent women survived economically by running small dressmaking businesses, though the displacement of custom-made clothing by factory-made garments ________ these needleworkers' economic opportunities.
A. confounded
B. curtailed
C. diminished Correct
D. augmented
E. destroyed
F. disguised
Explanation
Diminished' means reduced, fitting the loss of opportunities due to factory competition. 'Confounded' means confused, 'curtailed' implies restriction, 'augmented' means increased, 'destroyed' is too extreme, and 'disguised' doesn't fit economically.