<p>These are all from the BB ( i think the older edition) on page 554- 555 on a particular passage that i seem to struggle with..</p>
<ol>
<li>In line 52, the phrase "agonizing bliss" suggests that Virginia's pleasure is tempered by
a) Clayton's cold manner<br>
b) Clayton's visible uneasiness<br>
c) her physical discomfort<br>
d) her overriding self-consciousness
e) her sense that the happiness would be short lived</li>
</ol>
<p>i dont really understand the phrase agonizing bliss.. when i first read the passage, i got the impression that Virginia had a crush on Clayton, so by bliss, i thought it meant that she liked walking with him and the agonizing part of the walk would be her self consciousness</p>
<p>16) in lines 59-61, virginia's reaction to the meal most directly suggests that she
a) was contented enough without the food
b) was amused by clayton's attempts at hospitality
c) was aware of the chaos in the fraternity kitchen
d) felt guilty about making clayton uneasy
e) did not find the atmosphere conducive to romance</p>
<p>so she pretty much thought about a line from a musical piece when she looked at the meal. i guessed d, that she felt guilty about making clayton uneasy because i didnt feel that any of the others sounded right</p>
<p>10) As contrasted with the language in the opening paragraph, the advice offered by virginia's friends (lines 14-15) functions primarily to
a)..
b)..</p>
<p>didnt get this one at all</p>
<h1>10) The opening paragraph is super-serious about Clay - Virginia talks about how gorgeous and interesting he is. The “abstracted musing” in choice A is meant to describe how Virginia seems lost in her own thoughts and poetic descriptions. In contrast, Virginia’s friends are less serious and more light-hearted. Their joking about how Virginia and Clay could hook up is a totally different mood from the last paragraph. It doesn’t contradict V’s opinion of Clay (choice D), since they don’t say he’s ugly or boring or anything.</h1>
<h1>15) “The walk was twenty minutes of agonizing bliss, with the wind off the lake whipping her blue, and Clayton too involved with analyzing the orchestra’s horn section to notice.” You’re right, Virginia has a crush on Clayton, so she’s happy to be walking with him - but the “wind whipping her blue” part indicates she’s freezing the entire time, which is the source of her agony.</h1>
<h1>16) When Clayton apologizes for not being able to offer much, it says in line 60 that Virginia felt sated before lifting the first spoonful. In other words, even though Clayton’s meal is just some soup and cheese, she doesn’t care - she feels satisfied (“sated”) just by being with him and the meal is beside the point. The answer is A. There isn’t anything in those lines to support the idea she feels guilty or even has any negative feelings.</h1>
<p>thanks! i also have another one from the same passage</p>
<ol>
<li>The reference to “fluorescent light” and “sunlight” suggest the
c. attentiveness with which virginia regarded clayton
e. superficiality of clayton’s beauty</li>
</ol>
<p>i looked at it as e because it talks about only his physical appearance…</p>
<p>The important part here is that the question refers to the fluorescent light AND the sunlight. What’s the effect of including references to both? In that paragraph you see that Virginia is able to come up with really detailed descriptions of Clayton’s appearance under both circumstances, and the only way Virginia would know how he looks in different types of light is if she had been observing him closely. Imagine if someone could describe the differences in how you look in the morning and the afternoon. It’s a sign of attentiveness.</p>
<p>“Superficiality” does have to do with physical appearance, but it also implies shallowness; that would indicate Clayton may have been gorgeous, but his personality was lacking or something, which isn’t stated in the passage. More importantly, though, E is incorrect because it doesn’t really answer the question - what the differences Virginia observe between fluorescent light and sunlight, specifically, tell the reader. It’s meant to reveal more about Virginia than it does about Clayton. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Thanks again chemical. here’s another:</p>
<p>(p593 of bb)</p>
<p>As used in line 43, “stresses” most nearly means…</p>
<p>emphases
loads
anxieties
influences
sounds</p>
<p>It is not also likely, then, that certain space relations, rhythms, and stresses have psychological significance…</p>
<p>the answer is emphases, but couldnt it also possibly be influences?</p>