While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
● Claude McKay (1889–1948) was a Jamaican American writer.
● Songs of Jamaica (1912) and Constab Ballads (1912) are two acclaimed poetry collections that McKay published while living in Jamaica.
● McKay moved to Harlem in New York City in 1914.
● He is best known as a poet and novelist of the Harlem Renaissance, a literary and cultural movement of the 1920s and 1930s.
● His most famous works include the poetry collection Harlem Shadows (1922) and the novel Home to Harlem (1928).
The student wants to emphasize Claude McKayʼs accomplishments before moving to Harlem. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Explanation
Answer: 2) Although he is best known as a Harlem Renaissance writer, Claude McKay had published two acclaimed poetry collections in 1912 while living in Jamaica: Songs of Jamaica and Constab Ballads.
Goal: Emphasize Claude McKay's accomplishments before moving to Harlem.
Why? To emphasize pre-Harlem accomplishments, you must highlight early work. Choice 2 contrasts his later fame with his earlier Jamaican publications.
Traps:
- A) Lists all works → doesn't distinguish pre-Harlem
- C) About moving to Harlem → not pre-Harlem accomplishments
- D) Pre-Harlem residence → but mentions post-Harlem works