8

Set 8: Cross-Text Connections (Advanced)

Explanation

Answer: A

PASSAGE

Text 1 Standard English is often treated as the 'correct' form of the language, associated with education and authority. Text 2 In 'Their Eyes Were Watching God', Zora Neale Hurston writes the dialogue in African American Vernacular English (AAVE). By using the dialect for the protagonist's inner thoughts and speech, she validates it as a language of complex emotion and intellect, rejecting the hierarchy of 'standard' English.

How does Hurston's stylistic choice in Text 2 function as a critique of the norm in Text 1?

A. It elevates a marginalized dialect to the status of literary art, challenging linguistic elitism.✓ Correct
B. It agrees that Standard English is better.
C. It shows she couldn't spell.
D. It makes the book hard to read.

Detailed Answer Explanation

This question asks you to compare perspectives from two passages. Text 1: Standard = Correct/Authority. Text 2: AAVE = Complex/Intellect. Critique: Validates dialect/Rejects hierarchy. Understanding how the authors relate to each other's views is essential. Identify whether they agree, disagree, or address different aspects of the topic. Focus on their specific claims and conclusions. When comparing texts, first identify each author's thesis or main argument. Then determine how these positions interact: do they complement each other, contradict each other, or address different aspects of the same issue? The relationship between texts reveals deeper meaning.

Key Evidence:

• "validates it"

• "rejecting the hierarchy"

Why others are wrong: C (Stylistic choice.), D (Effect, not function.), B (Rejects hierarchy.).

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