Examining Culture and Prejudice in Literature — Test
Question 16 • Expository Reading and Writing
Read this excerpt from Rudolfo Anaya’s essay “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry.” Tortillas and poetry. They go hand in hand. Books nourish the spirit, bread nourishes our bodies. Our distinct cultures nourish each one of us, and as we know more and more about the art and literature of the different cultures, we become freer and freer. . . . I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to sample different ethnic foods, the breads of many many groups; just as many of us enjoy sampling books from different areas of the world. I travel to foreign countries, and I know more about myself as I learn more about my fellow human beings. Censorship imposes itself in my path of knowledge, and that activity can be justified by no one. Which of these changes would make this excerpt more argumentative?
Answer
A
using words that affect the audience’s sense of trust
B
including words that address logic and reason
C
including words that are charged with emotion
D
using less repetition of certain words and phrases
Explanation
The excerpt mainly uses an analogy between food and books and a personal example about travel. To make it more argumentative, it could include language that presents logical reasons or evidence for its claim that censorship cannot be justified. That would make choice A, “including words that address logic and reason,” the best answer; emotional or trust-building language alone would not provide stronger reasoning.
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