PSAT: Questions

This passage is adapted from an essay, "When Art and Morality Collide . . . ," by James Swafford (in National Endowment for the Arts magazine Humanities, July/August, 1997).

In the 19th century, writer Oscar Wilde produced works that were widely deemed immoral. Of that historical period, 20th century essayist James Swafford writes: What purpose do literature and the visual arts serve? What responsibilities must they assume? These were important questions in the last century, as increasing literacy, inexpensive editions, the rise of lending libraries, public art exhibitions, and mass-produced prints from steel engravings made the verbal and visual arts available to the masses as never before . . . . Wilde ran afoul of [the expectation of moral purpose] on several occasions . . . . "All art is quite useless," announces the last line of the preface to [Wilde's novel], The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Question: What is the meaning of the phrase "ran afoul of" (line 9)?

Choices:


	A.		Denied the existence of
	B.		Took up the cause of
	C.		Played a part in
	D.		Came in conflict with
	E.		Showed ignorance of

The correct answer is (D).

The word afoul implies conflict. There is no evidence in the passage for the other choices.

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PSAT: Questions

PSAT: Critical Reading Question #1