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In an Imagined Past It’s tempting at times to pack it in and find someplace in the mountains where I can live off the fat of the land. That is the Romantic dream, to become one with nature in an idyllic locale far off the beaten path, far from all the chaos in my own world and the constant stresses and anxieties that grip my soul. “I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,” W.B. Yeats wrote. In “Innisfree,” one’s mind is free, and residents of the lake isle there are fully attuned to the “lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore.” In my bucolic splendor, I too would live among the birds and beasts of the realm, alone with only my thoughts, a notebook, and the Earth’s resplendence. But, of course, I won’t really do that. Innisfree is only imagined, according to the author’s introduction to my Yeats poetry collection, and Yeats too was a little late to the Romantic party, the movement having reached its peak decades earlier. Still, even if the Romantic vision he and I both share is a bit atavistic, I wish my own cynicism and pragmatism weren’t so pronounced that I have to admit that such dreams are rooted in an imagined past.
1) It can be inferred from the passage that W.B. Yeats A. wrote Romantic poems that foresaw and triggered a later poetry movement B. wrote Romantic poems even though the movement was no longer popular C. was a celebrated poet whose best work was deeply mistrusting and suspicious of the world D. was considered a hack in his own time because his Romantic poems were out of style E. wanted to move to a rural location and start his life as a Romantic writer
2) According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true of Innisfree? A. It is idyllic. B. It is a place of peace. C. It is the subject of a poem. D. It contains a lake. E. It is a real place.
3) According to the author, why will he or she not move to the country? A. The author no longer trusts Yeats’ words because of the introduction to his book. B. The author has grown too cynical to even have Romantic fantasies anymore. C. The author knows the country life he or she imagines cannot actually exist. D. The author considers it foolish to give up on a stressful career. E. The author believes that rural locations exist only in the past.
4) Based on its use in paragraph 2, the word atavistic most relates to which of the following sets of words? A. ambivalent, equivocal, uncertain B. sensible, practical, pragmatic C. idealized, utopian, visionary D. anachronistic, obsolete, outdated E. disillusioned, suspicious, weary
5) At the end of the passage, the author writes: "I wish my own cynicism and pragmatism weren’t so pronounced that I have to admit that such dreams are rooted in an imagined past." Explain this statement in your own words. Does this apply to you? Why or why not?
Answers and Explanations 1) B Core Standard: Integration of Knowledge The author states that “Yeats too was a little late to the Romantic party, the movement having reached its peak decades earlier.” This implies that he wrote Romantic poetry, even though the movement was no longer widespread, making choice (B) correct.
The passage does state clearly that Yeats wrote Romantic poems, but it actually argues that, rather than foreseeing and triggering the movement, he “was a little late to the Romantic party.” This implies that Yeats did not start the movement, so much as follow it. Thus, choice (A) is incorrect.
The author does imply that Yeats was “a celebrated poet,” but it does not argue that he was “mistrusting and suspicious.” In fact, the only Yeats poem mentioned is one that apparently idealizes the world, creating an imagined utopia. Thus, choice (C) is incorrect.
Though the passage does imply that Yeats’ Romantic poems were not in style, “the [Romantic] movement having reached its peak decades earlier,” it does not imply that Yeats was perceived as a “hack” or a lousy writer. The passage actually does not discuss how Yeats was viewed in his time. Thus, choice (D) is incorrect because it is too extreme.
Though the author does suggest that Yeats’ poem about Innisfree concerns a dream to move there and live amongst nature, the author does not imply that Yeats himself actually wanted to move there. Choice (E) is incorrect, as it misinterprets a literary construction for a physical reality.
2) E Core Standard: Key Ideas and Details In the second paragraph, the author states plainly that “Innisfree is only imagined.” Thus, it is not true that Innisfree “is a real place.” Since this question asks what is not true about Innisfree, choice (E) is correct.
In the first paragraph, the author relates his or her own dream of an “idyllic locale” to Yeats’ vision of Innisfree, implying that Innisfree is an idealized or idyllic place. Thus, choice (A) is incorrect, since it provides a statement that is true of Innisfree.
In the first paragraph, the author says that, “in Innisfree, one’s mind is free,” implying that people there are at peace. Thus, choice (B) is incorrect, since it provides a statement that is true of Innisfree.
The author makes it clear in the first paragraph that Yeats wrote about Innisfree, and in the second
paragraph, he or she describes reading of Innisfree in his or her “Yeats poetry collection.” This implies that Innisfree is the subject of a poem. Thus, choice (C) is incorrect, since it provides a statement that is true of Innisfree.
In the first paragraph, the author describes the residents of Innisfree as being “fully attuned to the ‘lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore.’” This implies that Innisfree has a lake. Thus, choice (D) is incorrect, since it provides a statement that is true of Innisfree.
3) C Core Standard: Key Ideas and Details The author spends the first paragraph explaining his or her Romantic dream of moving to the country and the second paragraph explaining why he or she “won’t really do that.” He or she writes that “Innisfree is only imagined” and that he or she wishes that his or her “cynicism and pragmatism weren’t so pronounced that [he or she has] to admit that such dreams are rooted in an imagined past.” Thus, the author will not move to the country because the idealized version of it, Innisfree, is not real and is based entirely on a fictional, “imagined” past, meaning the author is aware that his or her dream country life cannot actually exist. Therefore, choice (C) is correct.
Though the author admits to learning that the place from Yeats’ poem (Innisfree) is not real, he or she does not suggest that he or she can no longer trust Yeats’ poem. The author is being somewhat coy in suggesting that he or she ever thought Innisfree actually existed, as the author is well aware of Romantic poetry and its idealized visions of nature. Thus, choice (A) is incorrect because it distorts information from the passage.
The author states at the end of the passage that he or she is now full of “cynicism and pragmatism,” but he or she does not imply that he or she is too cynical or pragmatic to even have Romantic fantasies anymore. After all, the entirety of the first paragraph concerns the author’s Romantic fantasy of living in “bucolic splendor.” Thus, choice (B) is incorrect.
The author never states that he or she has a career nor that said career is stressful. Rather, he or she only states that his or her world is full of “constant stresses and anxieties.” The author never, however, implies that it is his or her career that is stressful, nor does the author suggest it is foolish to give up on such a career. Therefore, choice (D) is incorrect.
The author does suggest that idealized rural locations such as Innisfree “are rooted in an imagined past,” but he or she does not suggest that no rural locations exist in the present. Rather, he or she implies that idealized rural locations do not really exist and never did. Therefore, choice (E) is incorrect.
4) D Core Standard: Craft and Structure atavistic (adjective): relating to or characterized by a reversion to something old-fashioned or antiquated.
In paragraph 2, the author describes the vision he or she shares with Yeats as atavistic after stating that “Yeats too was a little late to the Romantic party, the movement having reached its peak decades earlier.” This means that the author sees Romanticism as being rooted in the past. Thus, the author seems to suggest that Romantic dreams are somewhat outmoded, out of style, anachronistic, obsolete, or outdated. Therefore, choice (D) is correct.
The author describes the vision he or she shares with Yeats as atavistic after suggesting that Yeats’ Romanticism was rooted in the past and not popular any longer. He or she does not imply, thus, that atavistic relates to ambivalent, equivocal, or uncertain; in fact, the author and Yeats both seem fairly certain about their Romantic vision of nature. Thus, choice (A) is incorrect.
The author describes the vision he or she shares with Yeats as atavistic after suggesting that Yeats’ Romanticism was rooted in the past and not popular any longer. He or she does not imply, thus, that atavistic relates to sensible, practical, or pragmatic; in fact, the Romantic vision the author and Yeats share is by definition, an impractical one. Thus, choice (B) is incorrect.
The author describes the vision he or she shares with Yeats as atavistic after suggesting that Yeats’ Romanticism was rooted in the past and not popular any longer. He or she does not imply, thus, that atavistic relates to idealized, utopian, or visionary, even though the vision shared by the author and Yeats is itself an idealized, utopian, or visionary one. Thus, choice (C) is incorrect.
The author describes the vision he or she shares with Yeats as atavistic after suggesting that Yeats’ Romanticism was rooted in the past and not popular any longer. He or she does not imply, thus, that atavistic relates to disillusioned, suspicious, or weary, even though the author himself or herself admits to feeling cynical and disillusioned about his or her Romantic vision at times. Thus, choice (E) is incorrect.
