QUESTION: 85

There was no God in his heart, he knew; his ideas were still in riot; there was ever the pain of memory; the regret for his lost youth yet the waters of disillusion had left a deposit on his soul, responsibility and a love of life, the faint stirring of old ambitions and unrealized dreams.
But oh, Rosalind! Rosalind!...

“It’s all a poor substitute at best,” he said sadly. And he could not tell why the struggle was worth while, why he had determined to use to the utmost himself and his heritage from the personalities he had passed. He stretched out his arms to the crystalline, radiant sky. “I know myself,” he cried, “but that is all.”

What does the speaker mean when he says, “It’s all a poor substitute at best”? (line 8)

The character understands that losing Rosalind was a poor substitute for the understanding of himself he has gained.
Rosalind is left with only a poor substitute of what she might have had with him.
The “crystalline sky” is a poor substitute for the loss of Rosalind.
He was a poor substitute for a better man in the struggle he has just undergone.
He has learned from his experience but he feels a greater sense of loss.

Answer(s): E

Explanation:

The character regrets the loss of Rosalind and views the self-understanding he has gained as a “poor substitute” for what he might have had with Rosalind.

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QUESTION: 86

historical novel
novel of education
science fiction novel
detective novel
western novel

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

This passage is most representative of the conclusion of a novel of education. Novels of education, also known as “bildungsroman” in German, deal primarily with the moral and psychological growth of the main character.
The character in this passage has been through a learning process. In the end he declares his maturity by saying, “I know myself.”

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