Nineteenth Century Paperback Literature Reading Answers

Here you can find Nineteenth Century Paperback Literature reading answers as a practice test along with answers and explanations. This article contains 14 questions in 3 different forms namely - 6 questions as matching features, 4 multiple choice questions and 4 questions as yes, no or not given. Before answering your questions, read the given passage thoroughly.

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Table of content:

• Solution for Nineteenth Century Paperback Literature
• Nineteenth Century Paperback Literature IELTS practice test
• Passage
• Questions
• Answers with explanations

Solution for Nineteenth-Century Paperback Literature

Answers for the Nineteenth Century Paperback Literature reading answers are given here in the table form below.

Answer Table

14. B	17. C	20. C	23. E	26. No
15. A	18. B	21. F	24. Yes	27. Yes
16. A	19. C	22. A	25. No

Nineteenth Century Paperback Literature IELTS Reading Practice Test- Exam Review

We have given the Nineteenth Century Paperback Literature IELTS reading answers, as a sample article for the IELTS reading practice test. Use this article while practicing for your major exam, it will aid you to crack your exams with band scores. Go through the given passage and answer the questions.

Passage

We have given Nineteenth Century Paperback Literature reading answers with location. Be careful while reading the passage and answer the questions.

Nineteenth Century Paperback Literature Reading Answers

1. A publishing craze that hit both America and England from the mid-to-late nineteenth century attracted the readership of the semiliterate working class. In America, dime novels typically centered on tales of the American Revolution and the Wild West, while British penny blood (later called penny dreadfuls) told serial tales of horror or fictionalized versions of true crimes. These paperback novels were sold at newsstands and dry goods stores and succeeded in opening up the publishing market for both writers and readers. The industrial revolution facilitated the growth of literacy, making it easier to print and transport publications in large quantities, thus providing inexpensive entertainment for the masses.
2. Though Johann Gutenberg's printing press was designed in the fifteenth century, it was not until after the first newspapers began circulating in the eighteenth century that it became a profitable invention. Throughout the nineteenth century, commoners in England were becoming educated through normal schools, church schools, and mutual instruction classes, and by the 1830s, approximately 75 percent of the working class had learned to read. In 1870, the Forster Education Act made elementary education mandatory for all children. Though few children's books were available, penny dreadfuls were highly accessible, especially to male youths who created clubs in order to pool their money and start their own libraries. Similar to reading a newspaper, dime novels, and penny dreadfuls were meant to be read quickly and discarded, unlike the hard-bound high literature that was written in volumes and published for the elite. Struggling authors, many of whom had limited writing and storytelling skills, suddenly found an audience desperate to read their work. When the first typewriter became available in the 1870s, authors were able to maximize their output. Successful authors, some of whom wrote over 50,000 words a month, were able to earn a decent living at a penny per word.
3. From the 1830s to 1850s, penny blood featured tales of gore that often depicted the upper class as corrupt. One of the most beloved characters from the penny blood serials was Sweeney Todd. In the original story, String of Pearls: A Romance, published in 1846, Sweeney Todd was a demon barber who used his razor to torture his victims before turning them into meat pies. In 1847, hack playwright George Dibdin Pitt adapted Thomas Prest's story for the stage, renaming it The String of Pearls: The Fiend of Fleet Street. With no copyright laws, authors were always at risk of having their ideas pilfered. Pitt's play was released again one year later at one of London's "bloodbath" theaters1 under the name "Founded on Fact". The Sweeney Todd story also made its way into musicals and comedies. Controversy still exists over whether Thomas Prest's character was based on a real person. No records of a barbershop on Fleet Street, or a barber named Sweeney Todd have been found, though Thomas Prest was known for getting his inspiration from "The Old Bailey" of the London Times, a section devoted to real-life horror stories.
4. Despite the warning from Lord Shaftesbury that the paperback literature was seducing middle-class society into an unproductive life of evil, the penny blood grew in popularity. They provided a literary voice for commoners at an affordable price. Eventually, penny blood became known as penny dreadfuls and began to focus more on an adventure than horror.
5. In 1860, Beadle and Adams was the first firm in the United States to publish a title that would be categorized as a dime novel. Malaeska: The Indian Wife of the White Hunter, by Anne Stephens, had originally been published twenty years earlier as a series in a magazine. In novel form, approximately 300,000 copies of the story were sold in the first year, paving the way for the new fad in America. Many dime novels were written as serials with recurring characters, such as Deadwood Dick, Commander Cody, and Wild Bill. Originally, the paperbacks were intended for railroad travelers; however, during the Civil War, soldiers quickly became the most avid dime novel readers. Beadle dime novels became so popular that the company had to build a factory of hack writers to mass-produce them. As urbanization3 spread, stories of the Wild West were in less demand, and tales of urban outlaws became popular. At that time, dime novels were chosen for their illustrated covers rather than their sensational stories and characters. Despite their popularity, by the late 1880s, dry goods stores were so full of unsold books that prices dropped to less than five cents per copy. Many titles that could still not sell were given away or destroyed. The International Copyright Law, passed by Congress in 1890, required publishers to pay royalties to foreign authors. Selling at less than five cents a copy, the paperback industry was doomed until the arrival of pulp paper.

Questions

Questions 14—19

• Which of the 14—19 characteristics below belongs to which type of literature?
• On the lines answer sheet write:

1. if it is characteristic of penny blood
2. if it is characteristic of dime novels
3. if it is characteristic of both penny blood and dime novels

14. They were popular in America.
15. They were popular in Britain.
16. They showed members of the upper class as corrupt.
17. They were inexpensive.
18. They featured tales of the Wild West.
19. They were popular among members of the working class.

Questions 20-23

• Match each year with the event that occurred during that year. Choose the correct event, A-F, from the box below and write the correct letter on lines 20—23 on your answer sheet.

There are more events than years, so you will not use them all.

20. 1870
21. 1846
22. 1860
23. 1890

Events

1. The first dime novel was published in the US
2. Lord Shaftesbury warned people about the dangers of penny blood
3. if it is characteristic of both penny blood and dime novels
4. A law was passed requiring children to attend school
5. A law about copyrights was passed
6. The first Sweeney Todd story was published

Questions 24—27

• Do the following statements agree with the information in the reading passage? On lines 24—27 on your answer sheet write:
• YES: if the statement agrees with the information
• NO: if the statement contradicts the information
• NOT GIVEN: If there is no information on this in the passage

24. The literacy rate in England rose in the nineteenth century.
25. Children’s books were popular in the nineteenth century.
26. Most people agree that Sweeney Todd was based on a real person.
27. Dime novels were popular among Civil War soldiers.

Answers for Nineteenth Century Paperback Literature with explanations

Here we have given the answers for Nineteenth Century Paperback Literature Reading Answers with explanations, this portion will assist you while answering.

14. Answer: B

Explanation: “In America, dime novels typically centered on tales of the American Revolution and the Wild West”. With this line it is clear that they were popular in America if it is characteristic of dime novels. Hence the given answer is located in the 2-4 lines of paragraph 1.

15. Answer: A

Explanation: “British penny blood (later called penny dreadfuls) told serial tales of horror or fictionalized versions of true crimes”. With this line it is clear they were popular in Britain if it is characteristic of penny blood. Hence the given answer is located in the 4-5 lines of paragraph 1.

16. Answer: A

Explanation: “From the 1830s to 1850s, penny blood featured tales of gore that often depicted the upper class as corrupt”. With this line it is clear that they showed members of the upper class as corrupt if it is characteristic of penny blood. Hence the given answer is located in the 1-2 lines of paragraph 3.

17. Answer: C

Explanation: “Penny Blood (later called penny dreadfuls) told serial tales of horror or fictionalized versions of true crimes. These paperback novels were sold at newsstands and dry goods stores and succeeded in opening up the publishing market for both writers and readers. The industrial revolution facilitated the growth of literacy, making it easier to print and transport publications in large quantities, thus providing inexpensive entertainment for the masses”. With this line it is clear that they were inexpensive if it is characteristic of both penny blood and dime novels. Hence the given answer is located in the last 6 lines of paragraph 1.

18. Answer: B

Explanation: “In America, dime novels typically centered on tales of the American Revolution and the Wild West”. With this line it is clear that they featured tales of the Wild West if it is characteristic of dime novels. Hence the given answer is located in the 2-4 lines of paragraph 1.

19. Answer: C

Explanation: “These paperback novels were sold at newsstands and dry goods stores and succeeded in opening up the publishing market for both writers and readers. The industrial revolution facilitated the growth of literacy, making it easier to print and transport publications in large quantities, thus providing inexpensive entertainment for the masses”. With this line it is clear that they were popular among members of the working class if it is characteristic of dime novels. Hence the given answer is located in the last 5 lines of paragraph 1.

20. Answer: C

Explanation: “In 1870, the Forster Education Act made elementary education mandatory for all children. Though few children's books were available, penny dreadfuls were highly accessible, especially to male youths who created clubs in order to pool their money and start their own libraries. Similar to reading a newspaper, dime novels, and penny dreadfuls were meant to be read quickly and discarded”. With this line it is clear that in 1870, it is characteristic of both penny blood and dime novels. Hence the given answer is located in the 6-11 in paragraph 2.

21. Answer: F

Explanation: “One of the most beloved characters from the penny blood serials was Sweeney Todd”. With this line it is clear that in 1846, the first Sweeney Todd story was published. Hence the given answer is located in the 2-3 lines of paragraph 3.

22. Answer: A

Explanation: “In 1860, Beadle and Adams was the first firm in the United States to publish a title that would be categorized as a dime novel”. With this line it is clear that in 1860, the first dime novel was published in the US. Hence the given answer is located in the 1-2 lines of paragraph 5.

23. Answer: E

Explanation: “The International Copyright Law, passed by Congress in 1890, required publishers to pay royalties to foreign authors. Selling at less than five cents a copy, the paperback industry was doomed until the arrival of pulp paper”. With this line it is clear that in 1890 a law about copyrights was passed. Hence the given answer is located in the last 4 lines of paragraph 5.

24. Answer: Yes

Explanation: “Penny Blood (later called penny dreadfuls) told serial tales of horror or fictionalized versions of true crimes. These paperback novels were sold at newsstands and dry goods stores and succeeded in opening up the publishing market for both writers and readers. The industrial revolution facilitated the growth of literacy, making it easier to print and transport publications in large quantities, thus providing inexpensive entertainment for the masses”. With this line it is clear that the literacy rate in England rose in the nineteenth century. Hence the given answer is located in the last 6 lines of paragraph 1.

25. Answer: No

Explanation: “Though few children's books were available, penny dreadfuls were highly accessible, especially to male youths who created clubs in order to pool their money and start their own libraries”. With this line it is clear that the given statement contradicts with the given information. Hence the given answer is located in the 7-10 lines of paragraph 2.

26. Answer: No

Explanation: “One of the most beloved characters from the penny blood serials was Sweeney Todd. In the original story, String of Pearls: A Romance, published in 1846, Sweeney Todd was a demon barber who used his razor to torture his victims before turning them into meat pies. In 1847, hack playwright George Dibdin Pitt adapted Thomas Prest's story for the stage, renaming it The String of Pearls: The Fiend of Fleet Street. With no copyright laws, authors were always at risk of having their ideas pilfered. Pitt's play was released again one year later at one of London's "bloodbath" theaters under the name "Founded on Fact". The Sweeney Todd story also made its way into musicals and comedies. Controversy still exists over whether Thomas Prest's character was based on a real person”. With this line it is clear that the given statement contradicts with the given information. Hence the given answer is located in the 2-12 lines of paragraph 3.

27. Answer: Yes

Explanation: “Originally, the paperbacks were intended for railroad travelers; however, during the Civil War, soldiers quickly became the most avid dime novel readers. Beadle dime novels became so popular that the company had to build a factory of hack writers to mass-produce them”. With this line it is clear that dime novels were popular among Civil War soldiers. Hence the given answer is located in the 7-12 lines of paragraph 5.

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