Pope‘s Life as a Writer Falls into Three Periods, Answering Fairly Enough to the Three Reigns in which he Worked.

Reading Passage Question

Pope‘s life as a writer falls into three periods, answering fairly enough to the three reigns in which he worked. Under Queen Anne he was an original poet but made little money by his verses. Under George I he was chiefly a translator, and made much money by satisfying the French classical taste with versions of the ―Iliad‖ and ―Odyssey.‖ Under George I he also edited Shakespeare, but with little profit to himself for Shakespeare was but a Philistine in the eyes of the French-classical critics. But as the eighteenth century grew slowly to its work, signs of a deepening interest in the real issues of life distracted men‘s attention from the culture of the snuff-box and the fan. As Pope‘s genius ripened, the best part of the world in which he worked was pressing forward, as a mariner who will no longer hug the coast but crowds all sail to cross the storms of a wide unknown sea. Pope‘s poetry thus deepened with the course of time, and the third period of his life, which fell within the reign of George II, was that in which he produced the ―Essay on Man,‖ the ―Moral Essays,‖ and the ―Satires.‖ These deal wholly with aspects of human life and the great questions they raise, according throughout with the doctrine of the poet, and of the reasoning world about him in his latter day, that ―the proper study of mankind is Man.‖

“Pope‘s life as a writer falls into three periods, answering fairly enough to the three reigns in which he worked.” - is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 3 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

Question 1
According to the information in the passage, which of the following can be inferred with reference to the first two periods of Pope‘s writings?

1. The public in general appreciated Pope‘s original works
2. Pope finally made money by copying other people‘s works
3. The critics did not think too highly of Shakespeare
4. Pope made money by translating Shakespeare‘s works
5. Pope decided to stop writing original poetry and began translating other people‘s works in order to make money

Question 2
From the information in the passage, each of the following can be inferred about Pope EXCEPT:

1. He lived through several reigns
2. His most famous works primarily deal with different aspects of human life
3. He made the most money under the reign of George 1
4. The public was impressed with his original woks
5. In the initial periods of his life, he made more money translating other people‘s works than writing original poetry

Question 3
In context of the passage, what do these lines imply "as a mariner who will no longer hug the coast but crowds all sail to cross the storms of a wide unknown sea"?

1. Pope stopped translating other people‘s works and began creating original works
2. The public started taking more interest in the real issues of life
3. Pope started writing about the various aspects of human life
4. Pope worked as a sailor on a ship which changed his outlook of the world and was responsible for his subsequent writings
5. Pope decided to venture away from the tried and tested style of writing and attempt new writing styles and subjects

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