I, too, Am America: The Harlem Renaissance and Cultural Rebellion — Test
Question 19 • TPS EdX English Language Arts 11
Read this excerpt from "Look Homeward, Angel." They laughed at his wild excess of speech, of feeling, and of gesture. They were silent before the maniac fury of his sprees, which occurred almost punctually every two months, and lasted two or three days. They picked him foul and witless from the cobbles, and brought him home . . . . And always they handled him with tender care, feeling something strange and proud and glorious lost in [him]. . . . He was a stranger to them: no one—not even Eliza—ever called him by his first name. He was—and remained thereafter—"Mister" Gant. . . . Based on this excerpt, what can be inferred about Oliver’s neighbors?
Answer
A
They consider him a talented man and good friend.
B
They think he is a bit peculiar, yet they revere him.
C
They spread gossip about his unusual conduct.
D
They worry about his excessive behaviors.
Explanation
The neighbors laugh at Oliver’s excessive speech and gestures and are silent during his intense sprees, showing that they see him as peculiar. Yet they treat him with “tender care” and feel something “strange and proud and glorious” is lost in him, suggesting reverence as well as concern. Therefore, they think he is a bit peculiar, yet they revere him.
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