These Wild Young People

Which of these inferences is most strongly supported by the following passage (paragraph 1)?

"For some months past the pages of our more conservative magazines have been crowded with pessimistic descriptions of the younger generation, as seen by their elders and, no doubt, their betters. Hardly a week goes by that I do not read some indignant treatise depicting our extravagance, the corruption of our manners, the futility of our existence, poured out in stiff, scared, shocked sentences before a sympathetic and horrified audience of fathers, mothers, and maiden aunts—but particularly maiden aunts."

• The conservative magazines refused to publish the younger writers.

• The younger generation valued the opinion and wisdom of their elders.

• The younger generation admitted that the older generation was superior in certain ways

• The elders believed they were superior to the younger generation.

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E3.4F

The following passage (paragraph 4) mainly shows that .

"A friend of mine has an uncle who, in his youth, was a wild, fast, extravagant young blood. His clothes were the amazement of even his fastest friends. He drank, he swore, he gambled, bringing his misdeeds to a climax by eloping with an heiress, a beautiful Philadelphian seraph, fascinated by this glittering Lucifer. Her family disowned her, and they fled to a distant and wild country. He was, in effect, a brilliant, worthless, attractive, and romantic person. Now he is the sedate deacon of a Boston Presbyterian church, very strong on morality in every shape, a terror to the young, with an impeccable business career, and a very dull family circle. Mrs. Gerould must know of similar cases; so why multiply instances? Just think how moral and unentertaining our generation will be when we have emerged from the ‘roaring forties’!—and rejoice."

• there’s no need to panic because most of the young generation will eventually become preachers or clergymen

• although the writer’s friend wanted to be a preacher, his lifestyle precluded his acceptance into the clergy

• there’s no reason to panic because the younger generation will probably lose their wildness as they age

• although the elders are in a panic, the younger generation is actually unentertaining and moral

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E3.5D

Which of these statements is best supported by the passage below (paragraph 9)?

"Now my generation is disillusionized, and, I think, to a certain extent, brutalized, by the cataclysm which their complacent folly engendered. The acceleration of life for us has been so great that into the last few years have been crowded the experiences and the ideas of a normal lifetime. We have in our unregenerate youth learned the practicality and the cynicism that is safe only in unregenerate old age. We have been forced to become realists overnight, instead of idealists, as was our birthright."

• Due to nobody’s fault, a crisis took place that shaped the writer’s generation.

• The elders purposefully poisoned the idealism of the youth.

• The writer believes that by the time the next generation takes the reigns, the world will be completely destroyed.

• The previous generation’s mistake caused the writer’s generation to become realists.

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E3.5D

What is most likely the author’s purpose for including the following passage (paragraph 11)?

"In one way or another, often unconsciously, the great burden put upon us is being borne, and borne gallantly, by that immodest, unchivalrous set of ne’er-do-wells, so delightfully portrayed by Mr. Grundy and the amazing young Fitzgerald. A keen interest in political and social problems, and a determination to face the facts of life, ugly or beautiful, characterizes us, as it certainly did not characterize our fathers."

• To set forth the political arguments of the young candidates poised to take over the government.

• To emphasize the fact that the writer’s generation is, in fact, more content and determined than the older generation.

• To highlight the ugly claims made by the articles published in conservative papers.

• To criticize the older generation.

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E3.8A

Which of these statements about the characteristics of the older generation is best supported by the text?

• Compared to the writer’s generation they were better people.

• In their youth, they were also detestable.

• They were not as principled when they were young as they now claim to have been.

• Their classical training in the arts and athletics made them a more successful and accomplished generation.

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E3.4F

E3.5D

Which of these statements about the efforts of the previous generation is best supported by the text?

• They were desperately trying to fix what they saw as a failing generation.

• They stood back, content to watch the younger generation fail.

• They forced the criminals of the younger generation into labor camps.

• They planned on repealing Prohibition once the writer’s generation proved they could handle responsibility.

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E3.4F

Match the vocabulary word to its corresponding synonym.

• spite

• sympathetic

• introduce

• ultimate

• understanding

• assured

• final

• malice

• confident

• precede

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E3.2B

Reorder the following

• The writer argues that his generation has been forced into cynicism early in their lifetime.

• The writer argues that the older generation ruined the world for the younger generation.

• The writer argues that everyone writing about his generation from the outside is ignorant of the truth.

• The writer explains that every older generation complains about the younger generation.11.77e

• The writer argues that his generation is made up of hard working individuals.

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E3.7E.i

E3.7E