Literature Multiple Choice Practice Problems

In the 1920s, one of the most important centers of Black culture was

• the North Side of Chicago

• Hollywood

• Harlem

• the Back Bay of Boston

• San Antonio

Answer explanation

In the 1920s, Harlem became a cultural hub for Black artists, writers, and musicians, known for the Harlem Renaissance, which celebrated Black culture and creativity, making it the most important center of Black culture during that era.

Fashionable and forward-thinking young women of the 1920s were known as

• birds

• canaries

• cool cats

• dizzies

• flappers

Answer explanation

Fashionable and forward-thinking young women of the 1920s were called flappers. They embraced new styles, attitudes, and behaviors, symbolizing the era's cultural shift towards modernity and independence.

The Hays Code

• started Prohibition

• ended Prohibition

• determined what could be shown in movies

• established rules for driving automobiles

• provided insurance for deposits made to banks

Answer explanation

The Hays Code was a set of guidelines that established what could be shown in movies, regulating content to ensure it adhered to moral standards. It did not relate to Prohibition, driving rules, or bank insurance.

The 1920s were notable for a change in culture stemming from an increase in

• the percentage of the population who lived in cities

• crop production

• education in foreign languages

• the influence of Germany

• the speed of trains

Answer explanation

The 1920s saw a significant cultural shift as more people moved to cities, leading to urbanization. This change influenced lifestyles, arts, and social norms, making 'the percentage of the population who lived in cities' the correct answer.

An important factor in the culture of the 1920s was the Eighteenth Amendment, which

• established a federal income tax

• gave men the right to vote at age eighteen

• abolished slavery

• prohibited the sale of alcohol

• repealed the prohibition on the sale of alcohol

Answer explanation

The Eighteenth Amendment, ratified in 1919, prohibited the sale of alcohol in the United States, marking the beginning of Prohibition, a significant cultural shift in the 1920s.

An important development of the 1920s that expanded the possibilities of life was

• the Anti-Trust Act

• the invention of television

• a new emphasis on sports

• the invention of the bicycle

• car ownership

Answer explanation

Car ownership in the 1920s revolutionized transportation, providing greater mobility and access to jobs, leisure, and social activities, significantly expanding the possibilities of life during that era.

The artistic movement of the 1920s, in which artists attempted to come to terms with world changes while also fostering change, was known as

• impressionism

• modernism

• realism

• surrealism

• art nouveau

Answer explanation

The artistic movement of the 1920s that sought to address and embrace the rapid changes in society is known as modernism. It focused on innovation and breaking away from traditional forms, unlike the other movements listed.

Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald

• were never actually married

• lived off a large inheritance from Fitzgerald’s parents

• divorced and then married each other again

• ended up living in the Fitzgerald family home in Minnesota

• lived the kind of extravagant lifestyle portrayed in some of Fitzgerald’s novels

Answer explanation

Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald lived an extravagant lifestyle similar to that depicted in Fitzgerald's novels, characterized by wealth, parties, and social status, which reflects the themes of his literary works.

The narrator of The Great Gatsby is

• Nick Carraway

• Jay Gatsby

• T. J. Eckleburg

• Jordan Baker

• never identified by name

Answer explanation

The narrator of The Great Gatsby is Nick Carraway, who provides a first-person perspective on the events and characters, including Jay Gatsby. The other options do not serve as the narrator.

West Egg, where much of the novel is set, is

• a fashionable suburb of Connecticut

• the real name of a town where F. Scott Fitzgerald lived

• a middle-class village where Gatsby is the only rich inhabitant

• a place where people with “new money” live

• an island that is home to industrial magnates and former presidents

Answer explanation

West Egg is depicted in 'The Great Gatsby' as a place where people with 'new money' live, contrasting with East Egg, where the 'old money' elite reside. This distinction highlights Gatsby's background and aspirations.