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American College Testing: English, Math, Reading, Science, Writing Questions 261–265 (page: 54)

Updated On: 9-Feb-2026

DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

Beloved and The Oprah Effect

[§1] In 1998, the movie adaptation of author Toni Morrison's novel Beloved was released, directed by Jonathan Demme and co-produced by Oprah Winfrey, whom had spent 10 years bringing it to the screen. <1> Winfrey also stars as the main character, Sethe, alongside Danny Glover as Sethe's lover, Paul D, and Thandie Newton as Beloved. <2>

[§2] The movie flopped at the box office. <3> A review in the Economist suggested that "most audiences are not eager to endure nearly three hours of a cerebral film with an original storyline featuring supernatural themes, murder, rape and slavery." Film critic Janet Maslin, however, in her review, "No Peace from a Brutal Legacy," <4> called it a "transfixing, deeply felt adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel. ...Its linchpin is of course Oprah Winfrey, who had the clout and foresight to bring `Beloved' to the screen and has the dramatic presence to hold it together.

[§3] In 1996, television talk show host <5> Winfrey had selected Song of Solomon for her newly launched Book Club, which became a popular feature on her Oprah Winfrey Show. An average of 13 million viewers watched the show's Book Club segments. As a result, <6> when Winfrey selected Morrison's earliest novel, The Bluest Eye in 2000, <7> it sold another 800,000 paperback copies. John Young wrote in the African American Review in 2001 that Morrison's career experienced the boost of the "Oprah Effect, ...enabling Morrison to reach a broad, popular audience." Winfrey selected a total of four of Morrison's novels over six years, giving Morrison's novels a bigger sales boost than they got from her Nobel Prize win in 1993. <8> The novelist also appeared three times on Winfrey's show. Winfrey said, "For all those who asked the question `Toni Morrison again?'...I say with certainty there would have been no Oprah's Book Club if this woman had not chosen to share her love of words with the world." <9> Morrison called the Book Club "a reading revolution." <10>

By using the words, "As a result," <6> the author of the passage is stating that:

  1. Morrison's book sales success is directly attributed to exposure in Oprah's Book Club.
  2. Without Oprah, Toni Morrison would have never been a successful writer.
  3. Without Toni Morrison, Oprah's Book Club would not have gained 13 million viewers.
  4. Song of Solomon is a really good book.

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

A is correct. It is provable because Oprah already had millions of viewers and that could easily translate to sales. Plus, the sales weren't there before the appearance; they were afterward.



DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

Beloved and The Oprah Effect

[§1] In 1998, the movie adaptation of author Toni Morrison's novel Beloved was released, directed by Jonathan Demme and co-produced by Oprah Winfrey, whom had spent 10 years bringing it to the screen. <1> Winfrey also stars as the main character, Sethe, alongside Danny Glover as Sethe's lover, Paul D, and Thandie Newton as Beloved. <2>

[§2] The movie flopped at the box office. <3> A review in the Economist suggested that "most audiences are not eager to endure nearly three hours of a cerebral film with an original storyline featuring supernatural themes, murder, rape and slavery." Film critic Janet Maslin, however, in her review, "No Peace from a Brutal Legacy," <4> called it a "transfixing, deeply felt adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel. ...Its linchpin is of course Oprah Winfrey, who had the clout and foresight to bring `Beloved' to the screen and has the dramatic presence to hold it together.

[§3] In 1996, television talk show host <5> Winfrey had selected Song of Solomon for her newly launched Book Club, which became a popular feature on her Oprah Winfrey Show. An average of 13 million viewers watched the show's Book Club segments. As a result, <6> when Winfrey selected Morrison's earliest novel, The Bluest Eye in 2000, <7> it sold another 800,000 paperback copies. John Young wrote in the African American Review in 2001 that Morrison's career experienced the boost of the "Oprah Effect, ...enabling Morrison to reach a broad, popular audience." Winfrey selected a total of four of Morrison's novels over six years, giving Morrison's novels a bigger sales boost than they got from her Nobel Prize win in 1993. <8> The novelist also appeared three times on Winfrey's show. Winfrey said, "For all those who asked the question `Toni Morrison again?'...I say with certainty there would have been no Oprah's Book Club if this woman had not chosen to share her love of words with the world." <9> Morrison called the Book Club "a reading revolution." <10>

<7>:

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. earliest, novel, The Bluest Eye in 2000
  3. earliest novel, The Bluest Eye, in 2000
  4. earliest novel The Bluest Eye, in 2000

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

C is correct. You don't need "The Bluest Eye" for the sentence to make sense as long as you have "earliest novel." The use of "earliest novel" allows you to easily research for the title.



DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

Beloved and The Oprah Effect

[§1] In 1998, the movie adaptation of author Toni Morrison's novel Beloved was released, directed by Jonathan Demme and co-produced by Oprah Winfrey, whom had spent 10 years bringing it to the screen. <1> Winfrey also stars as the main character, Sethe, alongside Danny Glover as Sethe's lover, Paul D, and Thandie Newton as Beloved. <2>

[§2] The movie flopped at the box office. <3> A review in the Economist suggested that "most audiences are not eager to endure nearly three hours of a cerebral film with an original storyline featuring supernatural themes, murder, rape and slavery." Film critic Janet Maslin, however, in her review, "No Peace from a Brutal Legacy," <4> called it a "transfixing, deeply felt adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel. ...Its linchpin is of course Oprah Winfrey, who had the clout and foresight to bring `Beloved' to the screen and has the dramatic presence to hold it together.

[§3] In 1996, television talk show host <5> Winfrey had selected Song of Solomon for her newly launched Book Club, which became a popular feature on her Oprah Winfrey Show. An average of 13 million viewers watched the show's Book Club segments. As a result, <6> when Winfrey selected Morrison's earliest novel, The Bluest Eye in 2000, <7> it sold another 800,000 paperback copies. John Young wrote in the African American Review in 2001 that Morrison's career experienced the boost of the "Oprah Effect, ...enabling Morrison to reach a broad, popular audience." Winfrey selected a total of four of Morrison's novels over six years, giving Morrison's novels a bigger sales boost than they got from her Nobel Prize win in 1993. <8> The novelist also appeared three times on Winfrey's show. Winfrey said, "For all those who asked the question `Toni Morrison again?'...I say with certainty there would have been no Oprah's Book Club if this woman had not chosen to share her love of words with the world." <9> Morrison called the Book Club "a reading revolution." <10>

What is the implication from this sentence? <8>

  1. Oprah is better at picking books than the Nobel Prize people.
  2. The Nobel Prize people and Oprah don't see eye-to-eye on great literature.
  3. The Nobel Prize people and Oprah do see eye-to-eye on great literature.
  4. In this case, Oprah is a bigger influence on book buyers than the Nobel Prize people.

Answer(s): D

Explanation:

D is correct. The statement cannot prove A, B, or C, even if, in the case of C, the Nobel sales aftermath was noticeably less than the appearances on Oprah's show.



DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

Beloved and The Oprah Effect

[§1] In 1998, the movie adaptation of author Toni Morrison's novel Beloved was released, directed by Jonathan Demme and co-produced by Oprah Winfrey, whom had spent 10 years bringing it to the screen. <1> Winfrey also stars as the main character, Sethe, alongside Danny Glover as Sethe's lover, Paul D, and Thandie Newton as Beloved. <2>

[§2] The movie flopped at the box office. <3> A review in the Economist suggested that "most audiences are not eager to endure nearly three hours of a cerebral film with an original storyline featuring supernatural themes, murder, rape and slavery." Film critic Janet Maslin, however, in her review, "No Peace from a Brutal Legacy," <4> called it a "transfixing, deeply felt adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel. ...Its linchpin is of course Oprah Winfrey, who had the clout and foresight to bring `Beloved' to the screen and has the dramatic presence to hold it together.

[§3] In 1996, television talk show host <5> Winfrey had selected Song of Solomon for her newly launched Book Club, which became a popular feature on her Oprah Winfrey Show. An average of 13 million viewers watched the show's Book Club segments. As a result, <6> when Winfrey selected Morrison's earliest novel, The Bluest Eye in 2000, <7> it sold another 800,000 paperback copies. John Young wrote in the African American Review in 2001 that Morrison's career experienced the boost of the "Oprah Effect, ...enabling Morrison to reach a broad, popular audience." Winfrey selected a total of four of Morrison's novels over six years, giving Morrison's novels a bigger sales boost than they got from her Nobel Prize win in 1993. <8> The novelist also appeared three times on Winfrey's show. Winfrey said, "For all those who asked the question `Toni Morrison again?'...I say with certainty there would have been no Oprah's Book Club if this woman had not chosen to share her love of words with the world." <9> Morrison called the Book Club "a reading revolution."

<10>

<9>:

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. "For all those who asked the question, `Toni Morrison again?'...I say with certainty `there would have been no Oprah's Book Club if this woman had not chosen to share her love of words with the world.'"
  3. "For all those who asked, the question `Toni Morrison again?'...I say with certainty there would have been no Oprah's Book Club if this woman had not chosen to share her love of words with the world."
  4. "For all those who asked the question, `Toni Morrison again?'...I say with certainty there would have been no Oprah's Book Club if this woman had not chosen to share her love of words with the world."

Answer(s): D

Explanation:

D is correct. Rules of quotations dictate Oprah's statement should denote direct quotes with a comma, so you need one before `Toni Morrison again?' because she is quoting a hypothetical viewer/audience member.
However, you would not denote "there would have been..." with a comma or single quotes because it is being used as a subordinate clause, not a direct quote.



DIRECTIONS: In the passage below, certain phrases are underlined and numbered <x>. The question will present alternatives for the underlined part. In most cases, you are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is the best, choose "NO CHANGE".

Beloved and The Oprah Effect

[§1] In 1998, the movie adaptation of author Toni Morrison's novel Beloved was released, directed by Jonathan Demme and co-produced by Oprah Winfrey, whom had spent 10 years bringing it to the screen. <1> Winfrey also stars as the main character, Sethe, alongside Danny Glover as Sethe's lover, Paul D, and Thandie Newton as Beloved. <2>

[§2] The movie flopped at the box office. <3> A review in the Economist suggested that "most audiences are not eager to endure nearly three hours of a cerebral film with an original storyline featuring supernatural themes, murder, rape and slavery." Film critic Janet Maslin, however, in her review, "No Peace from a Brutal Legacy," <4> called it a "transfixing, deeply felt adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel. ...Its linchpin is of course Oprah Winfrey, who had the clout and foresight to bring `Beloved' to the screen and has the dramatic presence to hold it together.

[§3] In 1996, television talk show host <5> Winfrey had selected Song of Solomon for her newly launched Book Club, which became a popular feature on her Oprah Winfrey Show. An average of 13 million viewers watched the show's Book Club segments. As a result, <6> when Winfrey selected Morrison's earliest novel, The Bluest Eye in 2000, <7> it sold another 800,000 paperback copies. John Young wrote in the African American Review in 2001 that Morrison's career experienced the boost of the "Oprah Effect, ...enabling Morrison to reach a broad, popular audience." Winfrey selected a total of four of Morrison's novels over six years, giving Morrison's novels a bigger sales boost than they got from her Nobel Prize win in 1993. <8> The novelist also appeared three times on Winfrey's show. Winfrey said, "For all those who asked the question `Toni Morrison again?'...I say with certainty there would have been no Oprah's Book Club if this woman had not chosen to share her love of words with the world." <9> Morrison called the Book Club "a reading revolution." <10>

What does Morrison most likely mean in calling the Book Club a "reading revolution"? <10>

  1. She means it is filled with explosive and controversial literature.
  2. She means it is likely to cause the overthrow of the government.
  3. She means it will give authors, who otherwise might have toiled in obscurity, a chance to reach wider audiences with their words.
  4. She means it will change the way people think about writing.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

C is correct. When reading Morrison's remarks in the context of the passage as a whole ­ i.e. discussing the "Oprah Effect" ­ this is the only answer that makes sense.



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