GRE Reading Comprehension

Home > GRE Test > GRE Reading Comprehension Questions

Next steps

Source: CHP

The appreciation of traditional oral American Indian literature has been limited, hampered by poor translations and by the difficulty, even in the rare culturally sensitive and aesthetically satisfying translation, of completely conveying the original's verse structure, tone, and syntax. By writing in English and experimenting with European literary forms, contemporary American Indian writers have broadened their potential audience, while clearly retaining many essential characteristics of their ancestral oral traditions. For example, Pulitzer-prize-winning author N. Scott Momaday's poetry often treats art and mortality in a manner that recalls British romantic poetry, while his poetic response to the power of natural forces recalls Cherokee oral literature. Similarly, his novels, an art form European in origin, display an eloquence that echoes the oratorical grandeur of the great nineteenth- century American Indian chiefs.

Question List: 1 2

Which of the following is most likely one of the reasons that the author mentions the work of N. Scott Momaday?

  • A To illustrate how the author believes that some American Indian writers have broadened their potential audience
  • B To emphasize the similarities between Momaday's writings and their European literary models
  • C To demonstrate the contemporary appeal of traditional Native American oral literature
  • D To suggest that contemporary American Indian writers have sacrificed traditional values for popular literary success
  • E To imply the continuing popularity of translations of oral American Indian literature

Show Answer

Previous       Next