Heritage and Multicultural American Identities: Contemporary Voices — Test
Question 5 • Literature and Composition III
Read the excerpt from Rudolfo Anaya’s essay “Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry.” Tortillas and poetry. They go hand in hand. Books nourish the spirit, bread nourishes our bodies. Our distinct cultures nourish each one of us, and as we know more and more about the art and literature of the different cultures, we become freer and freer. . . . I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to sample different ethnic foods, the breads of many many groups; just as many of us enjoy sampling books from different areas of the world. I travel to foreign countries, and I know more about myself as I learn more about my fellow human beings. Censorship imposes itself in my path of knowledge, and that activity can be justified by no one. Which choice best describes the purpose of this text?
Answer
A
to inform readers about censorship in a specific country
B
to entertain readers with stories about censorship
C
to motivate readers to speak out against censorship
D
to persuade readers to oppose the censorship of literature
Explanation
Anaya compares poetry and books to food, explaining that exposure to different cultures helps people understand others and themselves. He then says censorship blocks this path to knowledge and “can be justified by no one,” making a clear argument against censoring literature. The purpose is to persuade readers to oppose censorship, not to tell stories about it or focus on one country.
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