CLEP Humanities : Answering Other Questions About Twentieth-Century Fiction
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CLEP Humanities
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Literature
The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to an author for __________.
a singular achievement in composing one poem
an author's literary output in a single year
a singular achievement in composing one novel
excellent work in multiple genres
an entire career of literary achievement
an entire career of literary achievement
The Nobel Prize in Literature, first established by Alfred Nobel's will in 1895, rewards authors for their total "work," which is read by the prize committee to mean an author's entire output for their career. The Nobel prize can be given to an author working in any field of literature, be it fiction, poetry, or even nonfiction. Usually, the Nobel Prize is seen as capping the career of an author, and is awarded usually to older writers.
Example Question #2 : Fiction
Which twentieth-century novel features a detailed rumination on “kitsch"?
Pale Fire
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Swell Season
The Stranger
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being features the 1968 Prague spring uprising as a background story for its characters' lives. The novel also discusses many philosophical themes, particularly the low-art known as "kitsch." Kundera's discussion of kitsch helps reflect on the "lightness" in the title of the novel.
Example Question #2 : Literature
In a novel, a narrator that can see every event and understands every character's motivation is describes as a __________.
multiple first person narrators
second person narrator
third person omniscient narrator
first person narrator
third person limited narrator
third person omniscient narrator
A third person narrator describes a narrator whose perspective is from outside any individual's own thoughts. An omniscient narrator describes a narrator that knows and understands every event and character motivation. This is one of the most common kinds of narration, along with first person narration, which is told from the point of view of a single character. A third person limited omniscient narrator has a perspective from outside, but can only understand the motivation of one, primary character. A first person narrator uses "I" and narrates from one character's perspective. A second person narrator uses "you."
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