Question

passage 2
one of the oldest literary works in the world is the epic saga of beowulf. written in an old form of english, the poem is traced to one manuscript dated between 700 and 1000 ce. thus, the work is among the oldest known works to be written in english, even though readers today would hardly recognize the language of the original text.
in beowulf, the title character arises to face the challenge of three monsters in scandinavia. in doing so, he makes his people safe. first, he fights the giant grendel to the death. then, he defeats the offspring of grendel. finally, he is defeated by a dragon, but his companion rises to avenge beowulf’s death. it is the companion who lives to tell the tale, and it is he who implies that each of us can take the place of beowulf and become a hero.
beowulf is a strange tale. like most epics, it involves a long journey in which a hero shows his strength against supernatural forces. but unlike most epics, it does not include just one journey. rather, as aforementioned, the poem has three parts, each of which could be its own poem. additionally, it is unusual for a story of its kind to suggest that each of us can be a hero. most epics concern gods and characters who are destined by the gods to be heroes. yet beowulf suggests that each of us can find inner strength to become a hero. and perhaps this is why it has endured for a millennium: we all like to believe that we can save ourselves. and this is what makes the text so appealing to western society.

challenge question
which of the following best describes the relationship between the two passages?
a passage 2 provides a historical context of a phenomenon described in passage 1
b passage 2 provides a specific example of something passage 1 talks about generally
c passage 2 provides a counterview to the argument passage 1’s author makes
d passage 2 provides a specific example of a type of poem passage 1 criticizes

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: If Passage 1 describes a phenomenon (e.g., types of poems, heroic themes in literature) and Passage 2 gives the historical context (date, origin) of Beowulf (a work related to that phenomenon), this fits.
• Option B: There's no info on what Passage 1 talks about generally, so we can't confirm this.
• Option C: A counterview would oppose an argument, but there's no indication Passage 2 opposes Passage 1's argument.
• Option D: "Criticizes" implies negative evaluation, but Passage 2 is about Beowulf's story and themes, not criticizing a poem type.

Assuming Passage 1 describes a phenomenon (like heroic epics in literature) and Passage 2 provides historical context (date, manuscript info) of Beowulf (an example of that phenomenon), Option A is correct.

Answer:

A. Passage 2 provides a historical context of a phenomenon described in Passage 1