B.L.A.; occasionally A.L.B. Bachelor of Liberal Arts Literature and Writing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s was primarily significant for which cultural development?
- A flourishing of African American art, literature, and music centered in New York City (Correct answer)
- The migration of jazz musicians from New Orleans to Chicago
- The founding of the NAACP as a civil rights organization
- The emergence of the Beat Generation literary movement
Correct answer: A flourishing of African American art, literature, and music centered in New York City
The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, literature, art, and scholarship in the 1920s–30s.
Question 2: In MLA citation format, which element appears first in a works cited entry for a book?
- Author's last name, followed by first name (Correct answer)
- Title of the book in italics
- Year of publication
- Publisher's name
Correct answer: Author's last name, followed by first name
MLA format begins a works cited entry with the author's last name followed by a comma and then the first name.
Question 3: Which term describes the central problem or struggle that drives a narrative forward?
- Conflict (Correct answer)
- Rising action
- Climax
- Denouement
Correct answer: Conflict
Conflict is the central struggle—person vs. person, person vs. nature, person vs. society, or person vs. self—that propels the plot.
Question 4: Which rhetorical appeal, identified by Aristotle, relies on the credibility and authority of the speaker?
- Ethos (Correct answer)
- Pathos
- Logos
- Kairos
Correct answer: Ethos
Ethos is the rhetorical appeal based on the character, trustworthiness, and authority of the speaker or writer.
Question 5: What distinguishes a primary source from a secondary source in academic research?
- A primary source is an original, firsthand account while a secondary source analyzes or interprets primary sources (Correct answer)
- A primary source is always older than a secondary source
- A primary source is more reliable than a secondary source
- A primary source is a book while a secondary source is an article
Correct answer: A primary source is an original, firsthand account while a secondary source analyzes or interprets primary sources
Primary sources are original materials created at the time of study (diaries, speeches, original research), while secondary sources analyze or interpret those materials.
Question 6: In poetry, a 'volta' refers to which structural element?
- A turning point or shift in thought or argument within the poem (Correct answer)
- The final couplet of a Shakespearean sonnet
- The repetition of initial consonant sounds
- The metrical pattern of stressed syllables
Correct answer: A turning point or shift in thought or argument within the poem
The volta is a rhetorical shift or turn in argument, tone, or subject matter, most commonly associated with the sonnet form.
B.L.A.; occasionally A.L.B. Bachelor of Liberal Arts Literature and Writing 2
The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s was primarily significant for which cultural development?