Reading Comprehension

PT145 · S1 · P1 · Q5 Federal Theater Project

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The Federal Theater Project (FTP) was established in the late 1930s by the United States government.

Topic

The Federal Theater Project’s "Negro Units" and their unique contribution to African American theater in the 1930s.

Framework

Highlight Noteworthy

Main Point

The Federal Theater Project’s Negro Units, though short-lived and long overlooked, played a crucial role in bringing diverse and innovative African American theater to national attention, despite both external and internal challenges. *Most Valuable Sentence: (end P1)*

P1: Introduction to the Federal Theater Project and Negro Units

The paragraph introduces the Federal Theater Project (FTP) in the late 1930s, focusing on its "Negro Units," which empowered African American theater artists across the US to create works for primarily Black audiences and, despite hardships, pioneered a national African American theater movement.

P2: Artistic Debates and Diverse Productions

This part sets the stage by referencing the Harlem Renaissance, then dives into internal debates among Negro Unit artists about what kinds of plays to make (folk dramas, urban realism, or adaptations of white works) and whether to blend in with or stand apart from the mainstream. The diversity of opinions led to a wide array of productions, including creative works like *The Swing Mikado*, which knowingly subverted racial stereotypes.

P3: Legacy and Impact During the Depression

Although the FTP only lasted a few years, it provided much-needed support to theater during the Great Depression, letting the Negro Units showcase the real diversity of African American artistry across the US.

5.

In referring to "a truly national black theater" (last sentence of the first paragraph) the author most likely means

  1. a publicly funded performing arts

    Out of Scope: performing arts center

    If we said something like, "A publicly funded performing arts initiative dedicated to producing plays for African American audiences", then that would be pretty acceptable. But the passage didn't say that they built one big performing arts center. The passage suggests that these 18 Negro units were dispersed among many states across the nation.

    14% picked this

  2. Correct

    a broad-based dramatic-arts enterprise reflecting

    Why this is right

    The language of "broad-based" is supposed to lock in with "truly national". We can imagine that if we were describing a group of black theater artists, that we might say, "It's a locally-based performance troupe / it's regionally-based / it's nationally-based". And then "reflecting the diversity of views and tastes" of African Americans is supposed to lock up with "producing plays on African American subjects for primarily African American audiences" Both of these language matches are relatively weak, but this answer is still the best available. It substitutes in place for "a truly national black theater" better than the other answers do. Sure, groups of African American theater artists had existed before, but the Negro units came closer than them to founding ... a broad-based dramatic-arts enterprise reflecting African American tastes and views.

    Skill tested: Meaning in Context · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

    77% picked this

  3. a federal government program established

    Unrelated to Goal: govt program / Depression

    It is true that the Negro units were part of a federal government program established during the Depression, but that's not at all what was meant by "truly national black theater". The author is stressing that while groups of African American theater artists had existed prior to the Negro units, the effort carried out by the Negro units was the first time that a black theater organization had a truly national scale to it. The author isn't saying, "Sure groups of African American theater artists had existed before, but this was the closest they ever came to being a federal govt program established during the Great Depression."

    2% picked this

  4. a canon of plays written

    Too Narrow

    Too Narrow: canon of plays Out of Scope: endorsed by scholars The phrase "a truly national black theater" wasn't restricted to the set of plays that were written. It's not just about playwrights. It's about "actors / directors / designers / technicians / playwrights". Also, where in the 1st paragraph does it say that this set of plays was endorsed by scholars?

    1% picked this

  5. a successful chain of black-owned

    Out of Scope: black-owned playhouses Dictionary-Trap

    If someone hadn't read the passage, they would be most attracted to this answer, since "truly national black theater" seems to match up with "black / playhouses / spread throughout the U.S.". But nothing in the passage talked about a chain of black-owned playhouses. We don't know what venues they performed in. We don't know if those venues were black-owned or part of a chain. We only know that there were "actors, directors, designers, technicians, and playwrights" employed by the U.S. government, making this truly black national theater happen.

    6% picked this

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