Время, в течение которого желательно выполнить данный раздел: 12 минут
Инструкции к разделу 5.
В данном разделе вам предстоит прочитать текст, написанный в повествовательном стиле. По прочтение этого текста вам нужно будет ответить на несколько вопросов, к каждому из которых предлагается 4 варианта ответов. Будьте внимательны - вам нужно выбрать не просто подходящий по смыслу вариант, а тот, который наиболее полно отвечает на поставленный вопрос.
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Saphira and the Slave Girl was the last novel of Willa Cather's illustrious literary career. Although the story takes place in 1856, well before her own birth, she drew heavily on both vivid childhood memories and tales handed down by older relatives to describe life in rural northern Virginia in the middle of the 19th century.
Of Cather's novels, Saphira and the Slave Girl is one of the most concerned with providing an overall picture of day-to-day life in a specific era. A number of the novel's characters, it would seem, are included in the story only because they are representative of the types of people to be found in 19th century rural Virginia; indeed, a few of them play no part whatsover in the unfolding of the plot. For instance, we are introduced to a poor white woman, Mandy Ringer, who is portrayed as intelligent and content, despite the fact that she has no formal education and must toil constantly in the fields.
The title, however, accurately reflects that the novel is mainly about slavery. Cather's attitude towards this institution may best be summed up as somewhat ambiguous. On the one hand, she displays almost total indifference to the legal and political aspects of slavery when she misidentifies certain crucial dates in its growth and development. Nor does she ever really offer a direct condemnation of slavery. Yet the evil that was slavery gets through to us in typically subtle ways. Those characters, like Mrs. Blake, who oppose the institution are portrayed in a sympathetic light. Furthermore, the suffering of the slaves themselves and the petty, nasty and often cruel behavior of the slave owners are painted in stark terms.
43. What is the main topic of this passage?
44. The author refers to Saphira and the Slave Girl as:
45. The word vivid in line 3 most nearly means:
46. What is NOT true of Mandy Ringer?
47. In the second paragraph, the author mentions Mandy Ringer in order to emphasize which point?
48. According to the author, why is Cather's attitude towards slavery somewhat ambiguous?
49. It can be inferred that the author would probably:
50. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
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