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ACT Reading: Humanities Passage Drill 1, Problem 1. Which of the following best describes the main purpose of this passage?
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ACT Reading 1.8 Humanities Passage 264 Views
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Description:
ACT Reading 1.8 Humanities Passage. Based on the tone and complexity of the passage, which of the following would be a reasonable assumption to make about the intended audience of this passage?
Transcript
- 00:04
Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by tragedy. Hey, you'd cry too it that comedy
- 00:09
mask was laughing at you all the time...
- 00:37
Based on the tone and complexity of the passage, which of the following would be a reasonable
- 00:41
assumption to make about the intended audience of this passage?
- 00:49
Now that we've read and reread the passage, we feel ready to tackle the big-dog questions like this one.
Full Transcript
- 00:54
We'll need a firm grasp on the overall feel of the passage, and the depth of information it presents.
- 00:59
Let's kick things off by checking out choice (C).
- 01:02
Could it be that A.C. was a total lady's man, wooing impressionable undergraduates
- 01:07
with his knowledge of Shakespeare's tragic period?
- 01:10
Sorry, Professor. There's no evidence that the audience was mostly women—in fact, since
- 01:15
this passage was published in 1904, almost all of A.C. Bradley's students were probably men.
- 01:20
So, (C) is definitely incorrect.
- 01:23
How about choice (B)?
- 01:24
Nah, the topic of discussion is Shakespeare's tragedies, but we don't get the impression
- 01:29
that the audience dislikes Shakespeare's comedies.
- 01:31
Except for maybe that one guy in the back who started booing when the Professor mentioned
- 01:35
Much Ado About Nothing.
- 01:39
Does choice (A) have it right?
- 01:41
Since the passage doesn't give us much background information about any of the plays, the author
- 01:45
assumes that the audience is already familiar with them.
- 01:48
Apparently, the Professor didn't have any patience for students who didn't do their homework.
- 01:53
The answer is (D).
- 01:55
A.C. assumes that his audience knows all the little details of plot and character, allowing
- 01:59
him to focus on loftier themes.
- 02:01
Yeah, yeah, we get it Professor...you're super smart.
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