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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Gilded Age?
Hi, Here is a reading passage and its weird question:
Just as every teenager thinks he is brighter than his parents, every decade considers itself superior to the one that came before. Over the past few months, we of the 2000 decade have made it quite clear that we are morally heads above those who lived in the 1990s. We’ve done it first by establishing a reigning cliché for that period. Just as the 1960s are known for student unrest, the 1980s for Reagan, Thatcher and the Yuppies, the 1990s will henceforth be known as the second Gilded Age.
They will be known as the age when the real problems in the world were ignored while the illusions of the dotcom types were
celebrated.
The term “Gilded Age” as it is used in the passage means ----.
A) to be admired
B) golden age
C) with moral principles
D) with surface shine
E) in bad taste
Official answer key says D is correct. I don't understand the logic of this question. Do you have any idea?
Thank you.
Just as every teenager thinks he is brighter than his parents, every decade considers itself superior to the one that came before. Over the past few months, we of the 2000 decade have made it quite clear that we are morally heads above those who lived in the 1990s. We’ve done it first by establishing a reigning cliché for that period. Just as the 1960s are known for student unrest, the 1980s for Reagan, Thatcher and the Yuppies, the 1990s will henceforth be known as the second Gilded Age.
They will be known as the age when the real problems in the world were ignored while the illusions of the dotcom types were
celebrated.
The term “Gilded Age” as it is used in the passage means ----.
A) to be admired
B) golden age
C) with moral principles
D) with surface shine
E) in bad taste
Official answer key says D is correct. I don't understand the logic of this question. Do you have any idea?
Thank you.
Top answer
Yes, D. Before I explain, may I ask first if you have looked up the meaning of the verb 'gild' in your dictionary? What did you find?
- Yes, D.
- Before I explain, may I ask first if you have looked up the meaning of the verb 'gild' in your dictionary?
- What did you find?
- Clive
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10 Answers
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Yes, D.
Before I explain, may I ask first if you have looked up the meaning of the verb 'gild' in your dictionary? What did you find?
Clive
Before I explain, may I ask first if you have looked up the meaning of the verb 'gild' in your dictionary? What did you find?
Clive
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AnonymousThe term “Gilded Age” as it is used in the passage means ----.A) to be admiredB) golden ageC) with moral principlesD) with surface shineE) in bad tasteOfficial answer key says D is correct. I don't understand the logic of this question. Do you have any idea?Are you sure this is exactly how the question reads? The only answer that makes grammatical se
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Hi Clive. I have just looked up the Oxford dictionary.
It reads:
gild something (literary) to make something look bright, as if covered with gold
I thought "gilded age" has a figurative meaning in this passage.
Hi GPY.
Yes it is.
It reads:
gild something (literary) to make something look bright, as if covered with gold
I thought "gilded age" has a figurative meaning in this passage.
Hi GPY.
Yes it is.
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"Gild" means to cover with a thin layer of gold. The term "gilded age" was coined by Mart Twain to describe the US in the last part of the 19th century. He meant that society had the surface gleam of gold that concealed an underneath of dross. This is a deliberate contrast with a golden age, which would have been virtuous through and through.
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Hi Anon,
I thought "gilded age" has a figurative meaning in this passage. It does, as Deadrat has already explained.
Note also that, as GPY has pointed out, the answers are not well-worded.
Clive
I thought "gilded age" has a figurative meaning in this passage. It does, as Deadrat has already explained.
Note also that, as GPY has pointed out, the answers are not well-worded.
Clive
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AnonymousHi GPY.Yes it is.The question is faulty then. "with surface shine" cannot mean "Gilded Age".
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deadratThe term "gilded age" was coined by Mart Twain to describe the US in the last part of the 19th century. He meant that society had the surface gleam of gold that concealed an underneath of drossI think it also fits grammatically, given that it is the second age named "the Gilded age."
Just as the 1960s are known for student unrest, the 1980s fo
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AlpheccaStarsJust as the 1960s are known for student unrest, the 1980s for Reagan, Thatcher and the Yuppies, the 1990s will henceforth be known as the second (age) with surface (ie. superficial) shine.Since the word "age" has not been mentioned, I don't think this interpretation is possible. Perhaps at a stretch it could be interpreted as "the second (period)
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It's true that you can't take your car to be detailed and ask that it be returned with Gilded Age. But in the metaphorical context of the statement, the beauty of the Gilded Age was confined to its shiny surface.
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deadratBut in the metaphorical context of the statement, the beauty of the Gilded Age was confined to its shiny surface.That is not in doubt.
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