Untangle a long sentence from an older text
Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
A Romance, Not a Novel (public-domain preface excerpt with background and word notes)
Background: [1] Nathaniel Hawthorne published The House of the Seven Gables in 1851, a year after The Scarlet Letter. [2] In the preface, he explains why he calls the book a Romance rather than a Novel. [3] The sentences are copied exactly from the preface, with the one cut marked.
From the preface to The House of the Seven Gables (1851): [4] When a writer calls his work a Romance, it need hardly be observed that he wishes to claim a certain latitude, both as to its fashion and material, which he would not have felt himself entitled to assume had he professed to be writing a Novel. [5] The latter form of composition is presumed to aim at a very minute fidelity, not merely to the possible, but to the probable and ordinary course of man's experience. [6] The former—while, as a work of art, it must rigidly subject itself to laws, and while it sins unpardonably so far as it may swerve aside from the truth of the human heart—has fairly a right to present that truth under circumstances, to a great extent, of the writer's own choosing or creation. [7] …In the present work, the author has proposed to himself—but with what success, fortunately, it is not for him to judge—to keep undeviatingly within his immunities. [8] The point of view in which this tale comes under the Romantic definition lies in the attempt to connect a bygone time with the very present that is flitting away from us.
Word notes: [9] Latitude means freedom, and fashion here means form or shape. [10] Professed means openly claimed, and fidelity means faithfulness. [11] The latter is the second of two things named, and the former is the first. [12] To sin unpardonably here means to fail beyond excuse, and to swerve aside is to stray. [13] Undeviatingly means without turning aside, and immunities here means freedoms granted to it. [14] Bygone means long past, and the cut leaves out the end of the first paragraph.
Ari is restating sentence 4 in plain words, keeping every part. Which restatement does that?
- Clearly, a writer who calls a book a Romance gives up freedom in form and material that he would take if he claimed to be writing a Novel, and so must follow stricter rules.
- Clearly, a writer who calls a book a Romance wants some freedom in its form and material that he would not feel entitled to take if he claimed to be writing a Novel.
- Clearly, a writer who calls a book a Romance wants freedom.
- Clearly, a writer who calls a book a Romance wants to set it in a bygone time, as the word notes explain.
Luz sees that sentence 6 holds its subject, “The former,” far from its verb, “has.” What does that shape do here?
- It is a cumulative sentence, so the details trail after the main clause and relax the reader.
- The long interruption lists the Romance's limits before its right, so the freedom sounds earned.
- It is a balanced sentence: two matching halves weigh the Romance against the Novel equally.
- The long interruption between the subject and the verb shows that a Romance follows no rules of any kind.
Tala sees two readings of sentence 4: the which-clause could describe “a certain latitude” or “its fashion and material.” Which reading does the syntax allow, and why?
- “Its fashion and material,” because the which-clause comes right after those nouns.
- “A certain latitude,” because “both as to its fashion and material” is an inserted phrase, and a writer assumes a freedom, not a material.
- “A certain latitude,” because a which-clause describes the first noun in its sentence.
- “A certain latitude,” meaning the book's distance north of the equator.
Pia sees that sentence 7 breaks off for an aside in dashes. What does that aside do here?
- The aside interrupts the claim with modesty: the author declines to judge his own success.
- It is an inverted sentence, so the verb comes first and stresses the author's immunities.
- The aside interrupts the claim so the author can boast that he has completely succeeded in this book.
- It is a periodic sentence: each detail builds to the main clause at the very end.
Bo sees two readings of sentence 8: “that is flitting away from us” could describe “a bygone time” or “the very present.” Which reading does the syntax allow, and why?
- “A bygone time,” because the old days long past are surely the ones that have flitted away from us.
- “The very present,” because the clause follows it and only the present is still slipping away.
- “The very present,” because the word “very” makes it the most important noun in the sentence.
- “The very present,” meaning a gift that is quickly slipping out of our hands.
The Dictionary Maker's Lot (public-domain preface excerpt with background and word notes)
Background: [1] Samuel Johnson published A Dictionary of the English Language in London in 1755, after years of work. [2] In its preface he describes the task and his method. [3] The text keeps Johnson's spellings, such as energetick, and each cut is marked.
From the preface to A Dictionary of the English Language (1755): [4] It is the fate of those who toil at the lower employments of life, to be rather driven by the fear of evil, than attracted by the prospect of good; to be exposed to censure, without hope of praise; to be disgraced by miscarriage, or punished for neglect, where success would have been without applause, and diligence without reward. [5] …I have, notwithstanding this discouragement, attempted a dictionary of the English language, which, while it was employed in the cultivation of every species of literature, has itself been hitherto neglected; suffered to spread, under the direction of chance, into wild exuberance; resigned to the tyranny of time and fashion; and exposed to the corruptions of ignorance, and caprices of innovation. [6] When I took the first survey of my undertaking, I found our speech copious without order, and energetick without rules: wherever I turned my view, there was perplexity to be disentangled, and confusion to be regulated; choice was to be made out of boundless variety, without any established principle of selection; adulterations were to be detected, without a settled test of purity; and modes of expression to be rejected or received, without the suffrages of any writers of classical reputation or acknowledged authority.
Word notes: [7] Toil means hard work, and evil here means harm. [8] Censure is blame, and miscarriage here is failure. [9] Hitherto means until now. [10] Exuberance is overgrowth, and caprices are sudden whims. [11] Copious means plentiful, and energetick is an old spelling of energetic. [12] Adulterations are impure or mixed forms. [13] Suffrages are votes of approval. [14] The cut leaves out a paragraph on the writer of dictionaries.
Zee sees that sentence 4 is built from balanced pairs. What does that shape do here?
- Each pair sets a hardship against a missing reward, so the work's unfairness builds pair by pair.
- It is a periodic sentence that saves a happy ending for its very last words.
- The balanced pairs show that such workers are fairly and fully rewarded for each of their hardships.
- It is an inverted sentence: the verbs come before their subjects to stress the workers.
Kira sees two readings of sentence 5: the which-clause could describe “a dictionary” or “the English language.” Which reading does the syntax allow, and why?
- “A dictionary,” because Johnson's own dictionary had been neglected while he wrote other works.
- “The English language,” meaning the language had been given a paid job in literature.
- “The English language,” because Johnson had not yet written any other books.
- “The English language,” which was used in all kinds of writing yet never itself put in order.
Ren is restating sentence 5 in plain words, keeping every part. Which restatement does that?
- Despite this, I have tried to write a dictionary of English, a language used in every kind of writing.
- Encouraged by this, I have written a dictionary of English, a language that has always been kept carefully in order.
- Despite this, I have tried to write a dictionary of English, the first ever made, as the background says.
- Despite this, I have tried to write a dictionary of English, a language used in every kind of writing but never itself put in order, so that it grew wild, bent to time and fashion, and was spoiled by ignorance and whims.
Esme sees that after its colon, sentence 6 runs through a long series of matching clauses. What does that shape do here?
- Each matching clause adds a task done without a rule, so the disorder seems to pile up endlessly.
- The long series of matching clauses shows that Johnson's task was quick, simple and orderly from the start.
- It is a periodic sentence: the details build up and the main clause waits until the very end.
- A single short fragment at the end lands the point with a sudden snap.
Noah sees two readings of the end of sentence 6: “without the suffrages of any writers” could go with the adulterations or with the modes of expression. Which reading does the syntax allow, and why?
- “Modes of expression to be rejected or received,” because each clause in the sentence ends with the word “authority,” as the clauses before it do.
- “Modes of expression to be rejected or received,” because the phrase ends that clause, and writers' approval would decide which uses to accept.
- “Modes of expression to be rejected or received,” where suffrages means citizens' votes in elections.
- “Adulterations were to be detected,” because writers of reputation would spot impure forms.