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Exam Duration: 90 minutes
Instructions
Read the questions carefully. Provide short, direct answers. Use your own words — don’t copy from the text.
In Cincinatti
Or in Rangoon
I simply smile
And all the gals swoon
1. Explain this. What does it indicate about the speaker?
The speaker has great appeal for women (“gals”). Moreover, his appeal is not geographically limited. Whether the locale is as ordinary as Cincinatti or as remote as Rangoon, women still faint over him.
2. What is the speaker’s problem, and what is the relevance of the above excerpt?
He cannot win the heart of the one he loves. The above excerpt indicates the irony of his situation. The woman he loves seems to be the only one who is not attracted to him. The speaker’s inability to win her love, despite his extraordinary qualities, is the main idea of the song.
Dr. Sloper would have liked to be proud of his daughter; but there was nothing to be proud of in poor Catherine. There was nothing, of course, to be ashamed of; but this was not enough for the Doctor, who was a proud man, and would have enjoyed being able to think of his daughter as an unusual girl. There would have been a fitness in her being pretty and graceful, intelligent and distinguished; for her mother had been the most charming woman of her little day, and as regards her father, of course he knew his own value. He had moments of irritation at having produced a commonplace child, and he even went so far at times as to take a certain satisfaction in the thought that his wife had not lived to find her out. He was naturally slow in making this discovery himself, and it was not till Catherine had become a young lady grown that he regarded the matter as settled. He gave her the benefit of a great many doubts; he was in no haste to conclude.
3. Explain the “satisfaction” referred to above.
He derives satisfaction from the thought that, as a result of his wife’s death, she never learned that their daughter would be commonplace.
4. What does “he regarded the matter as settled” mean?
He believed there was no doubt that Catherine was a commonplace person.
5. How does the excerpt above indicate the narrator’s attitude towards Dr. Sloper?
Dr. Sloper considers his young daughter “commonplace” — and feels there is no doubt that his judgement is correct. Many people would find such an attitude, by one human for another, to be questionable and arrogant, if not brutal. But the narrator views Dr. Sloper’s judgements as reasonable, emphasizing (in the last two sentences of the excerpt above) how deliberately Dr. Sloper considered the issue. This shows the narrator’s respectful attitude towards Dr. Sloper.
Save when [Dr. Sloper] fell in love with Catherine Harrington, he had never been dazzled, indeed, by any feminine characteristics whatever; and though he was to a certain extent what is called a ladies’ doctor, his private opinion of the more complicated sex was not exalted. He regarded its complications as more curious than edifying, and he had an idea of the beauty of reason, which was on the whole meagerly gratified by what he observed in his female patients. His wife had been a reasonable woman, but she was a bright exception; among several things that he was sure of, this was perhaps the principal. Such a conviction, of course, did little either to mitigate or to abbreviate his widowhood; and it set a limit to his recognition, at the best, of Catherine’s possibilities and of Mrs. Penniman’s ministrations.
6. Explain the “limit” referred to above. Explain what it was that “set” this limit.
Dr. Sloper has a low opinion of the female sex. This sets a limit in his mind on how much a female can accomplish. In particular, he does not have high expectations for Catherine’s future achievements, nor for Mrs. Penniman’s accomplishments in her education of Catherine.
Accuse me of cultural insensitivity if you wish, or even racism; I will lay counter-claims of sexism and misogyny disguised as Muslim orthodoxy.
7. Why might the writer be accused of “cultural insensitivity” or racism?
Because she is criticizing Muslims; specifically, the practice in post-war Iraq (and elsewhere) whereby men wear cool, comfortable clothes, while most women are completely enshrouded in “heat-retaining black abbas.” She says the women do not wear such clothing as a result of free choice, but because in the Muslim culture they are dominated by men.
8. Explain her “counter-claim.”
The writer’s “counter-claim” is that:
§ Those who defend the practices that discriminate against women (like wearing the abbas) are guilty of sexism and misogyny (hatred of women);
§ These people claim that they merely want to follow Muslim rules strictly; but that claim is a “disguise” which hides their guilt (sexism and misogyny).
Normally, actuarial proceedings are quiet affairs that make few waves, but Mr. Hustead said this one was different. “There were some very strong opinions, for an actuarial group,” he recalled. “We’ve done mortality studies in the past, and you go out and do your study, and come back and say, `Here it is,’ and just start using it.”
9. Why was it different this time?
Because a new law (passed in 1994) required all companies with pension plans to use the mortality table that would be developed during the proceedings. This time, therefore, the proceedings had direct consequences for many companies, and the companies were more concerned about the outcome than on previous occasions.
10. Explain briefly and clearly why company leaders care about mortality tables.
Companies with pension plans are required to put aside enough money to pay their employees from retirement to death. Mortality tables estimate how long employees will live and are used to calculate how much money the companies must put aside.
This money appears on financial statements as a liability. Liabilities reduce the net value of a company; so if liabilities increase, the share price goes down. Company leaders care about share price because it is often used to measure their job performance. Also, the share price often directly affects leaders’ personal wealth or income, since their pay can be tied to share price, or they may personally own shares or stock options.
11. Is there any kind of worker for which it would be reasonable to reduce employers’ pension obligations?
Yes. The study found that blue-collar workers who are not highly paid die younger than other kinds of employees. Lifetime pension payments for such workers will therefore be lower, so it would be reasonable to reduce the amount of money companies have to set aside for such workers’ pensions.
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