America's infatuation with the West was probably influenced in part by the appearance of tales of adventure in
the dime novels of the 1860s. In these romantic stories, the cowboy was elevated to hero. One of the most
popular and prolific authors of the dime novel was Ned Buntline, whose work laid the foundation for western
fiction.
   With the appearance in 1920 of The Virginian by Owen Wister, the western genre was established. By then,
the cowboy was disappearing from the American scene, and the romantic figure was even more appealing.
Wister also introduced several other memorable characters, including the villain, the gambler, and the love
interest, a school marm. They became stock characters in the novels and the films that followed.
   The next year, in The Log of a Cowboy, Andy Adams chronicled a trail drive from Mexico to Montana. Told
simply and less dramatically, it was nonetheless popular and influential in the development of the new genre.
Especially in his descriptions of places and real people like Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp, Adams injected
details that rang true.
   One interesting aspect of the development of the western genre is the fact that most of the authors were
easterners. Ned Buntline wrote almost all of his novels before he ever went west. Owen Wister, a Philadelphian,
was a Harvard graduate. Andy Adams, born in Indiana, was an easterner who went to Texas, became a ranch
hand and, eventually, a trail driver. The western writer from the west was an exception.

Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?

A - Eastern writers
B - Western genre
C - The Virginian
D - Dime novels

According to the passage, the event that marked the establishment of the western genre was

A - the publication of the dime novel

B - the appearance of The Virginian
C - the success of The Log of a Cowboy
D - the descriptions of real people and places

With the appearance in 1920 of The Virginian by Owen Wister, the western genre was established. By then, the
cowboy was disappearing from the American scene, and the romantic figure was even more appealing. Wister
also introduced several other memorable characters, including the villain, the gambler, and the love interest, a
school marm. They became stock characters in the novels and the films that followed.

The word stock could best be replaced by

A - comic
B - vulgar
C - recurring
D - charming

America's infatuation with the West was probably influenced in part by the appearance of tales of adventure in
the dime novels of the 1860s. In these romantic stories, the cowboy was elevated to hero. One of the most
popular and prolific authors of the dime novel was Ned Buntline, whose work laid the foundation for western
fiction.

The word tales is closest in meaning to

A - the dime novel

B - western fiction
C - prolific authors
D - romantic stories
The next year, in The Log of a Cowboy, Andy Adams chronicled a trail drive from Mexico to Montana. Told
simply and less dramatically, it was nonetheless popular and influential in the development of the new genre.

The word it refers to

A - Montana
B - a trail drive
C - The Log of a Cowboy
D - the new genre

Click on the paragraph that discusses the backgrounds of western writers. Scroll the passage to see all of the
paragraphs

A - One interesting aspect of the development of the western genre is the fact that most of the authors were
easterners ...
B - The next year, in The Log of a Cowboy, Andy Adams chronicled a trail drive from Mexico to Montana ...
C - With the appearance in 1920 of The Virginian by Owen Wister, the western genre was established ...
D - America's infatuation with the West was probably influenced in part by the appearance of tales of adventure
in the dime novels of the 1860s ...

What does the author mean by the following statement?

Especially in his descriptions of places and real people like Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp, Adams
injected details that rang true.

A - Because Adams knew the people in his stories, he knew how to write about them.
B - In general, the stories by Adams were true, but many of the details were fiction.
C - Adams included realistic details about places and people in his stories.
D - Descriptions of historical people and places would have made Adams's stories more realistic.

The author mentions all of the following as easterners, except for

A - Andy Adams
B - Ned Buntline
C - Bat Masterson
D - Owen Wister

The paragraph following the passage most probably discusses

A - westerners who wrote novels

B - easterners who wrote novels about the West
C - trail drives in the old West
D - life in the East in the early 1900s

The following sentence can be added to the passage.

His earlier stories had been serialized in Harper's Weekly, but The Virginian was his first published
book.
Where would it best fit into the passage?

With the appearance in 1920 of The Virginian by Owen Wister, the western genre was established. (A) By then,
the cowboy was disappearing from the American scene, and the romantic figure was even more appealing. (B)
Wister also introduced several other memorable characters, including the villain, the gambler, and the love
interest, a school marm. (C) They became stock characters in the novels and the films that followed. (D)