Question 38 Answer and Explanation _ACT January 2003 Form 59F English Section

Passage III

An American Griot

[1] When storyteller Mary Carter Smith practices her art and everybody listens. [2] Wearing a brightly colored African dress, a large turban, and bracelets, the seventy-eight-year-old Smith seems to inhabit each of the different characters she describes. [3] Her voice changes with each emotion she wants to evoke. [4] Her gestures fit the pace of the narrative. [5] And though many of the stories are intended to make the audience laugh, Smith is fully aware of the other values of storytelling. [6] Indeed, she identifies strongly with the griots of West Africa—those village storytellers where they use songs, poems, and narration to help preserve and transmit culture and history. [7] Clearly others recognize her as a valuable resource. [8] Smith is the official griot of both the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland; she has served as griot-in-residence at several universities. (35)

Though Smith has been interested in theater since her youth, her recognition of her own talent grew gradually. She worked for thirty years as a teacher and librarian in the field of education in Baltimore public schools. (36) She organized theater groups in her community and took several trips to Africa to study traditional cultures. All along, she was telling stories—everything from social satire to her retelling of “Cinderella” as Cindy Ellie, a poor African American girl whose rags are transformed into magnificent African-style gowns. Over time, she was invited to perform in churches, libraries, and museums. (38)

Smith realized the extent of her gift when her friend Alex Haley who had gathered essential material critical to writing his best-selling novel Roots from a griot in Gambia, began to refer to her as “my American griot,” this was a revelation to Smith. “Hearing that was like a man who has shoed horses all his life being told, ‘You’re a blacksmith!’” she recalls.

Today, Smith’s repertoire is so vast that she could speak consecutively for twelve hours straight without running out of material. It’s unlikely she would ever attempt such a feat, but if she did, there would be no dull moments.

38. At this point, the writer is considering adding the following true statement:

In high school, Smith was a member of both the drama and speech clubs.

Should the writer make this addition here?

F. Yes, because it supports the idea that Smith was telling stories throughout her life.

G. Yes, because it supports the idea expressed earlier that Smith organized theater groups in her community.

H. No, because it contradicts the point made earlier that Smith worked for thirty years as a teacher and librarian.

J. No, because it distracts the reader from the main focus of the paragraph and does not logically fit at this point in the essay.

Answer and Explanation

Your Answer is

Correct Answer is J

Explanation

The subject of this paragraph is her achievements. The added sentence says that her activities in high school have nothing to do with the subject, and the reasons for J are correct.