Page 40 - index

2020 ‫מועד אביב‬ - 39 - ‫ פרק ראשון‬- ‫אנגלית‬

Reading Comprehension

This part consists of two passages, each followed by several related questions. For each
question, choose the most appropriate answer based on the text.

Text I (Questions 13-17)

(1) The English poet Robert Graves once said, "There is no money in poetry, but then
there is no poetry in money, either." Many poets are caught between their wish to create
art and the need to support themselves. Even T.S. Eliot, one of the greatest poets of the
twentieth century, could not live on the income his writing provided.

(5) Born in the United States, Eliot moved to London, England, in 1914 at the age of
twenty-five. There he met fellow poet Ezra Pound, who took Eliot under his wing.
Pound, a respected critic and editor, immediately recognized the young poet's talent and
helped Eliot publish some of his first poems, including "The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock" (1915). By the time his masterpiece The Waste Land was published in 1922,

(10) Eliot was already well known and considered an outstanding poet.

Notwithstanding this recognition, Eliot could not earn a living from his poetry and

went to work at Lloyds Bank in London. As Eliot's reputation as a poet grew, Pound
advised him to devote all his time to writing. In 1923 Pound came up with a plan to
make this possible. He persuaded a large group of friends that supporting Eliot would
(15) be an investment in the future of poetry. Each of them agreed to contribute a small
amount of money so that Eliot could quit his job at the bank and dedicate himself to his
art. But, much to Pound's surprise, Eliot refused the offer, explaining that he enjoyed
his work and the stability it gave him. In 1925, however, Eliot did leave the bank. He
went to work as an editor at a publishing house, a job that was better suited to his
(20) literary activity. Holding a steady job did not adversely affect Eliot's poetry: in 1948
he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Questions

13. "There is no money in poetry" (line 1) means that -

(1) books of poetry do not cost very much
(2) rich people are not interested in poetry
(3) people do not value poems
(4) poets are not paid much for their work

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.‫ בלא אישור בכתב מהמרכז הארצי לבחינות ולהערכה‬- ‫ כולה או חלקים ממנה‬- ‫ או ללמדה‬,‫אין להעתיק או להפיץ בחינה זו או קטעים ממנה בכל צורה ובכל אמצעי‬