Read the excerpt.
Information
,begin italics,After the invention of the printing press, the literacy rate increased greatly. By the late seventeenth century, people began to consume many books instead of studying just one. In this excerpt, the author gives his view of some writers, readers, and critics.,end italics,
from ,begin bold,An Essay on Criticism,end bold,
Still humming on, their drowsy course they keep,
And lash'd so long, like tops, are lash'd asleep.
False steps but help them to renew the race. . . .
Strain out the last dull droppings of their sense,
And rhyme with all the rage of Impotence.,superscript,1,baseline,
Such shameless Bards we have; and yet 'tis true,
There are as mad, abandon'd Critics too.
The bookful blockhead, ,begin underline,ignorantly read,end underline,,
With loads of learned lumber in his head,
With his own tongue still edifies,superscript,2,baseline, his ears,
And always list'ning to himself appears.
All books he reads, and all he reads assails,,superscript,3,baseline,
From Dryden's Fables down to Durfey's Tales.
(from ,begin underline,An Essay on Criticism,end underline, by Alexander Pope)
,fill in the blank,
,begin bold,,superscript,1,baseline, impotence,end bold, weakness
,begin bold,,superscript,2,baseline, edifies,end bold, teaches
,begin bold,,superscript,3,baseline, assails,end bold, attacks
Question
How does the oxymoron "ignorantly read" contribute to the meaning of the poem?
Answer options with 4 options
1.
It creates a witty point that a writer who lacks a critic is unlikely to improve.
2.
It creates an impression that, whatever their subject, critics are reliable sources for reading materials.
3.
It emphasizes the great divide between a learned critic and a person with no understanding of a work.
4.
It shows a gap between the knowledge critics need and the poor quality of reading matter available to them.