TEN FOR TEN®
CRITICAL READING—INTENTION AND CONTEXT N
During the 1830’s, Parisians began to refer to artistic individuals who pursued unconventional life-styles as Bohemians. The Bohemian world—Bohemia—fascinated members of the bourgeoisie, the conventional and materialistic middle class of French society. “Bohemia, bordered on the North by hope, work Artists and the young were not alone in their and gaiety; on the South by necessity and courage; ability to make more of life than objective on the West and East by slander and the hospital.” conditions seemed to permit. Some who were 45 called Bohemians did so in more murky and Georges Chemla (1822-1861) mysterious ways, in the darker corners of society. For the nineteenth-century discoverers and “By Bohemians,” a well-known bistro owner of 5 explorers, Bohemia was an identifiable country the late 1830’s declared, “I understand that class with visible inhabitants, but not one marked on of individuals whose existence is a problem, any map. To trace its frontiers was to cross 50 social condition is a myth, fortune an enigma, constantly back and forth between reality and who are located nowhere and who one fantasy. encounters everywhere! Rich today, famished 10 Explorers recognized Bohemia by certain tomorrow, ready to live honestly if they can and signs: art, youth, socially defiant behavior, the some other way if they can’t.” The nature of vagabond life-style. To Georges Chemla, the most 55 these Bohemians was less easy to specify than influential mapper, Bohemia was the realm of either Chemla’s or Balzac’s definitions. They young artists struggling to surmount the barriers might be unrecognized geniuses or swindlers. 15 poverty erected against their vocations, “all those The designation “Bohemian” located them in a who, driven by an unstinting sense of calling, enter twilight zone between ingenuity and criminality. into art with no other means of existence than art 60 These alternative images of Bohemia are ones itself.” They lived in Bohemia because they could we still recognize when we use the term: more not—or not yet—establish their citizenship recent incarnations like the Beat Generation of 20 anywhere else. Ambitious, dedicated, but without the 1950’s or the hippiedom of the 1960’s means and unrecognized, they had to turn life contained these real or potential elements, too. itself into an art: “Their everyday existence is a 65 From the start, however, Bohemianism took work of genius.” shape by contrast with the image with which it Yet even Chemla admitted that not all was commonly paired: bourgeois life. The 25 Bohemians were future artists. Other reporters opposition is so well established and comes so did not think even the majority were future artists. easily to mind that it may mislead us, for it To the sharp-eyed social anatomist Balzac*, 70 implies a form of separation and an intensity of Bohemia was more simply the country of youth. hostility often belied by experience. Bohemia has All the most talented and promising young people always exercised a powerful attraction on many 30 lived in it, those in their twenties who had not yet solid bourgeois, matched by the deeply bourgeois made their names but who were destined instincts and aspirations of numerous Bohemians. eventually to lead their nation. “In fact all kinds of 75 This mysterious convergence sometimes leads to ability, of talent, are represented there. It is a accusations of insincerity, even dishonesty: microcosm. If the empire of Russia bought up “Scratch a Bohemian, find a bourgeois.” But the 35 Bohemia for twenty million—assuming it were quality revealed by scraping away that false willing to take leave of the boulevard pavements— appearance of opposition is seldom hypocrisy. and transferred it to Minsk, in a year Minsk would 80 Like positive and negative magnetic poles, be Paris.” In its genius for life, Balzac’s Bohemia Bohemian and bourgeois were—and are—parts resembled Chemla’s. “Bohemia has nothing and of a single field: they imply, require, and attract 40 lives from what it has. Hope is its religion, faith in each other. itself its code, charity is all it has for a budget.”
* French novelist (1799-1850)
INTENTION AND CONTEXT N 2
1. This passage is best described as 6. The quotations from Chemla suggest that a. a refutation of an ancient he viewed the Bohemians with misconception a. reserve and suspicion b. a definition of a concept b. benevolence yet perplexity c. a discussion of one historical era c. amusement and superiority d. a catalog of nineteenth-century d. timidity and fear biases e. interest and admiration e. an example of a class struggle 7. In contrast to Chemla’s Bohemia, 2. In the quotation at the beginning of the Balzac’s Bohemia was composed of passage (lines 1-3), Bohemia is presented a. young artists struggling in poverty in terms of b. young bourgeois playing with a new a. an extended metaphor social role b. a complex argument c. the criminal as well as the genuine c. geographic distances d. talented artists working together d. a logical paradox e. talented youths seeking to build their e. popular legend futures
3. Chemla’s Bohemians would differ most 8. The quotation in lines 47-54 most from the bourgeois in that the probably reflects the point of view of Bohemians a. the gypsies a. are motivated by strong artistic b. Chemla impulses c. Balzac b. are primarily political reactionaries d. some Bohemians c. have higher social status than the e. some bourgeois bourgeois d. prefer to live off inherited wealth 9. Which statement best summarizes the and the generosity of friends point made in lines 60-64? e. prefer an anarchic social order to a a. Bohemians have always been stable one subjected to suspicion and scorn. b. The Bohemian is an inescapable 4. In line 16, Chemla uses the word “un- feature of urban society. stinting” to emphasize the Bohemians’ c. Bohemianism, as a way of life, is not a. desire for wealth unique to the nineteenth century. b. power to assimilate bourgeois ideals d. Eighteenth-century Bohemia was c. reservations about society similar to nineteenth-century d. dedication to their goals Bohemia. e. generous nature e. The province of Bohemia was home to aspiring young artists. 5. The quotation in lines 22-23 (Their ... genius”) can be best interpreted to mean that the Bohemians a. are lucky to be alive b. are highly successful achievers c. are spirited and creative in spite of meager resources d. live at the expense of the bourgeois e. live chiefly by deceit, theft, and violation of accepted social codes
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INTENTION AND CONTEXT N 3
10. The statement in line 77 (“Scratch ... bourgeois”) is best interpreted as conveying a. skepticism about the Bohemians’ commitment to their life-style b. a desire to study the Bohemian life- style c. a distrust of both the Bohemian and the bourgeois worlds d. a lack of appreciation of the arts e. envy of the artist’s uncomplicated life-style
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TEN FOR TEN® ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
CRITICAL READING—INTENTION AND CONTEXT N
In the Passages Companion, we have discussed how SAT authors pursue one of three agendas: to Inform, to Reveal, or to Persuade. Please keep the Companion nearby and refer to it when reviewing your answers.
Here, our author Informs us of how a term was coined and used by 19th-Century Parisians. As is often the case when the author is Informing, he incorporates quotes to let others explain their own opinions. Such quotes, used as examples, will be exceptions to the Reasonable Rule: Since each expresses a “source’s” point of view, an author is likely to favor quotes that are interesting (and often outrageous).
1. B. What is the author’s Intention? By the time we’ve finished reading the passage and answering the line-referenced questions, we know that the author wants to Inform us. About what? Could it be the term “Bohemian,” which shows up in every paragraph? If you chose (a), the Roman Empire is ancient; 19th-Century France is not. If you chose (c), think about how much space an author should need to discuss an entire era; if you chose (e), you overthought it—where’s the struggle? If you chose (d), remember that on the SAT, every descriptive word should be taken precisely: Here, only a thin catalog would include only two or three biases.
2. A. “Bounded on the north by hope ...” Huh? It is tough to see this as a metaphor the first time through, but remember, just because you’re Indexing does not mean you must answer a confusing question immediately—you can answer the question whenever it suits you, even if that means waiting until after you’ve finished reading the passage. The only competition here is (c), although it’s tough to make actual geography out of that quote. (If you know European history and geography, you might know that Bohemia was a medieval kingdom—Prague was its capital. This is why outside knowledge can occasionally work against you!)
3. A. We know that SAT “big picture” questions show up only at the beginning and the end of each question set, which means that this question has an implicit line reference between the lines referenced by questions 2 and 4. So, we know that Chemla’s attitudes will be discussed somewhere between lines 3 and 16. Once you’re comfortable with Indexing, you’ll find yourself marking the margin to alert yourself to an “implied line reference” question like this one. “To Georges Chemla, …, Bohemia was the realm of young artists ….” (lines 12-14)
4. D. If they were to endure poverty for their artistic calling, they must have had a strong sense of dedication to see the job through. If you chose (e), you were assuming that, like the hippies of yesteryear, Bohemians helped each other out. They probably did, but that’s not what’s explicitly discussed in this part of the passage.
5. C. Does Chemla admire or scorn the Bohemians? If you answered “admire,” good. Can we now eliminate (d) and (e)? Of the other answer choices, which ones seem to jibe with Chemla’s earlier stated opinions? Side note: One way that Indexing helps us is that we answer questions about each fact or opinion as it is revealed. Later in the passage, a bistro owner denigrates Bohemians—do you think it’s possible that some test takers might conflate who said what when answering this question?
INTENTION AND CONTEXT N ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS 2
6. E. Again, Chemla is strongly in favor of the Bohemians. There is no reservation (a) or condescension (c). Again, we should mark the margin to alert us to this non- numbered question—and the next one!
7. E. Balzac also admires the Bohemians—if possible, even more than does Chemla. What’s the difference? Chemla sees only artists among the Bohemians; Balzac sees young people who display a variety of talents and ambitions. Again, if we mistook Balzac’s comments for those of Chemla, we might choose (a); if we mistook them for those of the bistro owner, we might choose (c).
8. E. The author has quoted an historian and a noted scientist, so who’s left? How about the common man? The bistro owner must represent the middle class (or bourgeoisie). Again, answering this question in Context allows us to quickly eliminate (b) and (c).
9. C. The right answer here seems so obvious after reading the lines in question that we might reject it as being too simple. Remember, if an answer choice can be right, being simple can never eliminate it from competition. Choices (a) and (b) are probably true, but those issues are not discussed in this passage (and so can’t be right).
10. A. “This mysterious convergence sometimes leads to accusations of insincerity, even dishonesty”(lines 75-76). Whenever you see a statement followed by a colon and then a quote, the quote is intended to prove the statement. Remember, quoted opinions rarely represent those of the author—so they don’t have to be Reasonable!
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