Reading Comprehension Question 1

Answer this question after reading through the accompanying passage. Base your answers on information that is either stated or implied in the passage.

Although Dorothy Wordsworth was convinced that her journal entries were not literature, they were seamlessly incorporated by her brother William into some of his most famous poems, altered only by his use of the first-person pronoun, the "I." The important question concerning the relationship between Dorothy and William, however, is not whether William's borrowings constituted exploitation, but rather how the relationship contributed to Dorothy's inability to conceive of herself as a writer.
Traditionally in literature, the authorial self, the "I," is identifiably masculine. The dominated "other" is feminine. In William's poems, the "other" is usually Nature, often personified as Dorothy. While these literary roles helped to sustain the close relationship between the two in real life, they also reinforced Dorothy's acceptance of the norms which defined her as "other." Thus, her access to authorial self-consciousness was blocked not just by the fact of her gender, but also by her accepted role in her brother's life and poetry.


The passage is primarily concerned with answering which of the following questions?

Whether Dorothy Wordsworth was aware of her role in her relationship with William Wordsworth

Whether Dorothy Wordsworth was exploited by her brother's use of her journal entries

How William Wordsworth altered Dorothy Wordsworth's writings for inclusion in his poems

Whether the relationship between Dorothy and William Wordsworth was psychologically harmful

How Dorothy Wordsworth's relationship to her brother reinforced her assumptions about herself

Reading Comprehension Question 2

Although Dorothy Wordsworth was convinced that her journal entries were not literature, they were seamlessly incorporated by her brother William into some of his most famous poems, altered only by his use of the first-person pronoun, the "I." The important question concerning the relationship between Dorothy and William, however, is not whether William's borrowings constituted exploitation, but rather how the relationship contributed to Dorothy's inability to conceive of herself as a writer.
Traditionally in literature, the authorial self, the "I," is identifiably masculine. The dominated "other" is feminine. In William's poems, the "other" is usually Nature, often personified as Dorothy. While these literary roles helped to sustain the close relationship between the two in real life, they also reinforced Dorothy's acceptance of the norms which defined her as "other." Thus, her access to authorial self-consciousness was blocked not just by the fact of her gender, but also by her accepted role in her brother's life and poetry.

It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes which of the following about Dorothy Wordsworth's journal entries?

They are praiseworthy but not literature.

They are only about her relationship with her brother.

They are more moving than her brother's poetry.

They surpass her own estimation of their merit.

They borrow many ideas from her brother's work.


Reading Comprehension Question 3


Although Dorothy Wordsworth was convinced that her journal entries were not literature, they were seamlessly incorporated by her brother William into some of his most famous poems, altered only by his use of the first-person pronoun, the "I." The important question concerning the relationship between Dorothy and William, however, is not whether William's borrowings constituted exploitation, but rather how the relationship contributed to Dorothy's inability to conceive of herself as a writer.
Traditionally in literature, the authorial self, the "I," is identifiably masculine. The dominated "other" is feminine. In William's poems, the "other" is usually Nature, often personified as Dorothy. While these literary roles helped to sustain the close relationship between the two in real life, they also reinforced Dorothy's acceptance of the norms which defined her as "other." Thus, her access to authorial self-consciousness was blocked not just by the fact of her gender, but also by her accepted role in her brother's life and poetry.

Which of the following best captures the meaning of the word "self-consciousness" as it is used in the final sentence of the passage?

appreciation by a writer of the value of critical reflection

awareness by a writer that one's perspectives may change

perception of the differences between an author's values and those of others

acceptance by a writer of his or her own identity as a writer

understanding rather than judgment of existing conditions