Passage 283

By: Koushik

Created: 06/17/2023 10:17

Last modified: 09/17/2025 16:45

The sweep of narrative in A. N. Wilson's biography of C. S. Lewis is impressive and there is much that is acute and well argued. But much in this work is careless and unworthy of its author. Wilson, a novelist and an accomplished biographer, has failed to do what any writer on such a subject as Lewis ought to do, namely work out a coherent view of how the various literary works by the subject are to be described and commented on. Decisions have to be made on what to look at in detail and what to pass by with just a mention. Wilson has not thought this problem out. For instance, Till We Have Faces, Lewis' treatment of the Eros and Psyche story and one of his best-executed and most moving works, is merely mentioned by Wilson, though it illuminates Lewis' spiritual development, whereas Lewis' minor work Pilgrim's Regress is looked at in considerable detail.

Questions:

1	The author of the passage implies that Wilson's examination of Pilgrim's Regress
	A.	is not as coherent as his treatment of Till We Have Faces
	B.	would have been more appropriate in a separate treatise because of the scope of Pilgrim's Regress
	C.	demonstrates how Wilson's narrow focus ignores the general themes of Lewis' works
	D.	was more extensive than warranted because of the relative unimportance of Pilgrim's Regress
	E.	was disproportionately long relative to the amount of effort Lewis devoted to writing Pilgrim's Regress
2	The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements regarding Till We Have Faces?
	A.	It is an improvement over the Eros and Psyche story on which it is based.
	B.	It illustrated Lewis' attempt to involve his readers emotionally in the story of Eros and Psyche.
	C.	It was more highly regarded by Wilson than by Lewis himself.
	D.	It is one of the outstanding literary achievements of Lewis' career.
	E.	It is probably one of the most popular of Lewis' works.
3	Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
	A.	An evaluation is made, and aspects of the evaluation are expanded on with supporting evidence.
	B.	A theory is proposed, and supporting examples are provided.
	C.	A position is examined, analyzed, and rejected.
	D.	A contradiction is described, then the points of contention are evaluated and reconciled.
	E.	Opposing views are presented and evaluated, then modifications are advocated.
4	Which of the following best describes the content of the passage?
	A.	A critique of A. N. Wilson as a biographer
	B.	An evaluation of the significance of several works by C. S. Lewis
	C.	An appraisal of a biography by A. N. Wilson
	D.	A ranking of the elements necessary for a well-structured biography
	E.	A proposal for evaluating the literary merits of the works of C. S. Lewis

Answers:

Question No.	Answer
1	D
2	D
3	A
4	C

Passage 283

Related Content