Question

read the excerpt from the interview with e.y. (yip) harburg.
we thought american business was the rock of gibraltar. we were the prosperous nation, and nothing could stop us now. a brownstone house was forever. you gave it to your kids and they put marble fronts on it. there was a feeling of continuity. if you made it, it was there forever. suddenly the big dream exploded.
how do harburg’s words reflect the experience of many americans during the great depression?
like harburg, many expected that they could maintain their possessions through the depression.
like harburg, many were shocked by stock market collapse and ensuing depression.
like harburg, many were grateful for the lessons they learned from the depression.
like harburg, many made meticulous plans to prepare for the depression.

Explanation:

1. Analyze the first option: The excerpt shows people thought their possessions (like brownstone houses) were "forever", but the Great Depression shattered that. The first option says they "expected to maintain possessions", but the key was the sudden explosion of the dream, not just expectation of maintenance. So this is incorrect.
2. Analyze the second option: Harburg talks about the sudden explosion of the "big dream" after thinking American business was unshakable. The stock market collapse and Great Depression were sudden shocks, so many Americans, like Harburg, were shocked by this turn of events. This matches.
3. Analyze the third option: The excerpt has no mention of gratitude for lessons from the Depression. So this is incorrect.
4. Analyze the fourth option: The excerpt shows people had a sense of continuity and permanence, not that they made meticulous plans for the Depression (they didn't expect it). So this is incorrect.

Answer:

B. Like Harburg, many were shocked by stock market collapse and ensuing Depression.