UNDERSTANDING THE POPULARITY OF DOWNTOWN ABBEY

1. Downton Abbey aired its series (a)   in the United States last night.

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1. The show taps into a particular " (a)   " that resonates with audiences.

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1. Freedman argues that Downton Abbey offers a mythic vision of an idealized (a)   and post-Edwardian England.

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1. Lady Cora, Countess of Grantham, enables Americans to imagine themselves as situated amongst an otherwise foreign world of (a)   , wealth, and order.

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1. The show's popularity in America suggests a continued fascination with the (a)   of British aristocracy.

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According to the passage, what does Freedman argue is "an England that well corresponds to what England in the early seventies dearly wished itself to have been and perhaps even to be once again"?

• An all-white society unified by certain generally accepted English values

• A society with a strong class struggle

• A society with a mix of modern and traditional values

• A society with a declining aristocracy

1. What does the passage suggest is a key reason for the show's popularity in America?
   

• The historical accuracy of the series

• The exoticism of the ancient British stately homes

• The emotional drama between the upstairs and downstairs characters

• The American-born character Lady Cora, Countess of Grantham

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1. What does the passage say the show's popularity in America "suggests"?
   

• A desire for a return to traditional British values

• A fascination with the trappings of British aristocracy

• A nostalgia for the Edwardian period

• A growing interest in British cultural exports

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1. What does the passage suggest about the show's depiction of class struggle?
   

• It is a central theme that is explored in depth

• It is largely sublimated into "domestic foibles" and minor tensions

• It reflects the social realities of the Edwardian period

• It challenges the mythic image of an idealized England

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1. What does the passage say the show's "extreme naturalistic accuracy" enables and protects?
   

• A more realistic portrayal of Britain's post-war culture

• A critique of the country's class divisions

• A mythic image of an idealized Edwardian England

• A subversion of traditional British values

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