Fairy Tales Address Themselves To Two Communities, Each With Its Own GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

Fairy tales address themselves to two communities, each with its own interests and each in periodic conflict with the other: parents and children. Nearly every study of fairy tales has taken the perspective of the (5) parent, constructing the meaning of the tales by using the reading strategies of an adult bent on identifying universally valid tenets of moral instruction for children.

For example, the plot of “Hansel and Gretel” is set (10) in motion by hard-hearted parents who abandon their children in the woods, but for psychologist Bruno Bettelheim the tale is really about children who learn to give up their unhealthy dependency on their parents. According to Bettelheim, this story—in which the (15) children ultimately overpower a witch who has taken them prisoner for the crime of attempting to eat the witch’s gingerbread house—forces its young audience

to recognize the dangers of unrestrained greed. As dependent children, Bettelheim argues, Hansel and (20) Gretel had been a burden to their parents, but on their return home with the witch’s jewels, they become the family’s support. Thus, says Bettelheim, does the story train its young listeners to become “mature children.” There are two ways of interpreting a story: one is a (25) “superficial” reading that focuses on the tale’s manifest content, and the other is a “deeper” reading that looks for latent meanings. Many adults who read fairy tales are drawn to this second kind of interpretation in order to avoid facing the unpleasant truths that can emerge (30) from the tales when adults—even parents—are portrayed as capable of acting out of selfish motives themselves. What makes fairy tales attractive to Bettelheim and other psychologists is that they can be used as scenarios that position the child as a (35) transgressor whose deserved punishment provides a lesson for unruly children. Stories that run counter to such orthodoxies about child-rearing are, to a large extent, suppressed by Bettelheim or “rewritten” through reinterpretation. Once we examine his (40) interpretations closely, we see that his readings produce meanings that are very different from those constructed by readers with different cultural assumptions and expectations, who, unlike Bettelheim, do not find inflexible tenets of moral instruction in the (45) tales.

Bettelheim interprets all fairy tales as driven by children’s fantasies of desire and revenge, and in doing so suppresses the true nature of parental behavior ranging from abuse to indulgence. Fortunately, these (50) characterizations of selfish children and innocent adults have been discredited to some extent by recent psychoanalytic literature. The need to deny adult evil has been a pervasive feature of our society, leading us to position children not only as the sole agents of evil (55) but also as the objects of unending moral instruction, hence the idea that a literature targeted for them must stand in the service of pragmatic instrumentality rather than foster an unproductive form of playful pleasure.

“Fairy tales address themselves to two communities, each with its own”- is a passage for the GMAT

that address reading comprehension. Candidates must have a firm understanding of GMAT reading comprehension in English. This GMAT reading comprehension section consists of eight comprehension questions. The purpose of the GMAT Reading Comprehension questions is to assess a candidate's capacity to understand, evaluate, and apply knowledge or ideas. By responding to the GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions section, candidates can actively practice.

Solution and Explanation

1. Which one of the following most accurately states the main idea of the passage?

(A) While originally written for children, fairy tales also contain a deeper significance for adults that psychologists such as Bettelheim have shown to be their true meaning.
(B) The “superficial” reading of a fairy tale, which deals only with the tale’s content, is actually more enlightening for children than the “deeper” reading preferred by psychologists such as Bettelheim.
(C) Because the content of fairy tales has historically run counter to prevailing orthodoxies about child-rearing, psychologists such as Bettelheim sometimes reinterpret them to suit their own pedagogical needs.
(D) The pervasive need to deny adult evil has led psychologists such as Bettelheim to erroneously view fairy tales solely as instruments of moral instruction for children.
(E) Although dismissed as unproductive by psychologists such as Bettelheim, fairy tales offer children imaginative experiences that help them grow into morally responsible adults.

2. Based on the passage, which one of the following elements of “Hansel and Gretel” would most likely be de-emphasized in Bettelheim’s interpretation of the tale?

(A) Hansel and Gretel are abandoned by their hard-hearted parents.
(B) Hansel and Gretel are imprisoned by the witch.
(C) Hansel and Gretel overpower the witch.
(D) Hansel and Gretel take the witch’s jewels.
(E) Hansel and Gretel bring the witch’s jewels home to their parents.

3. Which one of the following is the most accurate description of the author’s attitude toward Bettelheim’s view of fairy tales?

(A) concern that the view will undermine the ability of fairy tales to provide moral instruction
(B) scorn toward the view’s supposition that moral tenets can be universally valid
(C) disapproval of the view’s depiction of children as selfish and adults as innocent
(D) anger toward the view’s claim that children often improve as a result of deserved punishment
(E) disappointment with the view’s emphasis on the manifest content of a tale

4. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Children who never attempt to look for the deeper meanings in fairy tales will miss out on one of the principal pleasures of reading such tales.
(B) It is better if children discover fairy tales on their own than for an adult to suggest that they read the tales.
(C) A child who is unruly will behave better after reading a fairy tale if the tale is suggested to them by another child.
(D) Most children are too young to comprehend the deeper meanings contained in fairy tales.
(E) Children should be allowed to enjoy literature that has no instructive purpose.

5. Which one of the following principles most likely underlies the author’s characterization of literary interpretation?

(A) Only those trained in literary interpretation can detect the latent meanings in stories.
(B) Only adults are psychologically mature enough to find the latent meanings in stories.
(C) Only one of the various meanings readers may find in a story is truly correct.
(D) The meanings we see in stories are influenced by the assumptions and expectations we bring to the story.
(E) The latent meanings a story contains are deliberately placed there by the author.

6. According to the author, recent psychoanalytic literature suggests that

(A) the moral instruction children receive from fairy tales is detrimental to their emotional development
(B) fewer adults are guilty of improper child rearing than had once been thought
(C) the need to deny adult evil is a pervasive feature of all modern societies
(D) the plots of many fairy tales are similar to children’s revenge fantasies
(E) the idea that children are typically selfish and adults innocent is of questionable validity

7. It can be inferred from the passage that Bettelheim believes that children are

(A) uninterested in inflexible tenets of moral instruction
(B) unfairly subjected to the moral beliefs of their parents
(C) often aware of inappropriate parental behavior
(D) capable of shedding undesirable personal qualities
(E) basically playful and carefree

8. Which one of the following statements is least compatible with Bettelheim’s views, as those views are described in the passage?

(A) The imaginations of children do not draw clear distinctions between inanimate objects and living things.
(B) Children must learn that their own needs and feelings are to be valued, even when these differ from those of their parents.
(C) As their minds mature, children tend to experience the world in terms of the dynamics of the family into which they were born.
(D) The more secure that children feel within the world, the less they need to hold onto infantile notions.
(E) Children’s ability to distinguish between stories and reality is not fully developed until puberty.

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