In Analyzing the Poetry of Mona Feather, We are Confronted with three Different Yardsticks by Which to Measure her Work.

Reading Passage Question

In analyzing the poetry of Mona Feather, we are confronted with three different yardsticks by which to measure her work. We could consider the poems as the product of a twentieth-century artist in the tradition of James Joyce, T.S.Eliot, and Wallace Stevens. However to do so would be to ignore a facet of her which informs every word she writes, and which stems from her identity as a woman. Yet, to characterize her solely as a woman poet is to deny her cultural heritage, for Mona Feather is also the first poet of modern stature who is also an American Indian.

Stanley Wilson, has argued compellingly that the huge popularity Feather enjoys among the Indian reservation school population of the United States is creating a whole new generation of poetry enthusiasts in an age when the reading of poetry is on the wane. While this is undoubtedly true, the praise of Mr. Wilson gives the impression that Feather's readership is limited to her own culture—an impression which hints that Mr. Wilson is himself only measuring her by one yardstick.

Radical feminist writers have long found in Feather's poetry a sense of self-pride which struck a chord with their own more political philosophies. Her imagery, which always made use of the early Native American traditions in which the woman had an important role, was seen as the awakened sensibility of a kindred spirit.

Yet for all the "feminist" touches in her writing, it would be a disservice to consign Feather to the ranks of politicized writers, for her message is deeper than that. The despair which characterized twentieth-century modern poets is to be found in Mona Feather's work as well; she writes of the American Indians of the 1930s confined to ever-shrinking reservations and finds that a metaphor for all of modern mankind trapped on a shrinking earth of limited resources.

“In analyzing the poetry of Mona Feather, we are confronted with three different yardsticks by which to measure her work.”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 6 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. The primary purpose of this passage is to

1. describe the work of Mona Feather
2. compare Feather with Joyce, Eliot, and Stevens
3. show Feather's roots in her Native American heritage
4. argue that Mona Feather's work can be looked at in several different ways
5. discuss the women's movement in America

2. It can be inferred from the passage that Stanley Wilson's praise of Feather is

1. wholeheartedly endorsed by the author
2. focused too much on her status as a Native American poet
3. meant to disguise his opinion of Feather as a poet lacking in talent
4. ​critical of the Native American children's literary judgment
5. based on all facets of her poetry

3. According to the author, Feather is best described as

1. a modern twentieth-century poet
2. a woman poet
3. a Native American poet

1. I only
2. II only
3. I and II only
4. II and III only
5. I, II, and III

4. This passage would most likely be found in

1. a radical feminist polemic
2. an article in a daily newspaper
3. a biography of Stanley Wilson
4. a selection from a literary journal
5. a textbook on nineteenth-century poetry

5. The author implies that Mona Feather's message is actually "deeper" than the message attributed to her by radical feminists because

1. Feather's poetry uses the plight of women in society only as a metaphor for the plight of Native Americans
2. such feminists do not understand the complexities of the women-centered Native-American traditions that Feather describes
3. such feminists saw only Feather's self-pride and were blind to her underlying despair
4. they wished to deny Feather's similarities to male poets such as Joyce, Eliot, and Stevens
5. Feather's poetry addressed not just the political problems of one group hemmed in by modern society, but also fundamental problems of human beings worldwide in the age of modernization

6. The author would probably regard which of the following poets as the most like Mona Feather in artistic significance?

1. Rita Dove, who writes with a sensuality that appeals not only to her fellow African Americans but also to a broad audience of readers
2. Adrienne Rich, who uses her identity as a woman and as a Jew to represent the sufferings of all mankind under oppression
3. Denise Levertov, who celebrated the newly celebrated sexuality of women in modern times
4. Cathy Song, who explores the complexities of being reared in America with a strongly Asian cultural and family background
5. Mark Strand, who wrote of feeling trapped and confined by his ties to women, whom he saw as the source and secret controllers of life

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