Historians generally agree that， of the great modern innovations， the railroad had the most far－reaching impact on major events in the United States in the nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries， particularly on the Industrial
Revolution. There is， however， considerable disagreement among cultural historians
regarding public attitudes toward the railroad， both at its inception in the 1830s and during the
half century between 1880 and 1930， when the national rail system was completed and reached
the zenith of its popularity in the United States. In a recent book， John Stilgoe has addressed this issue by arguing
that the “romantic－era distrust”
of the railroad that he claims was present during the 1830s vanished in the decades
after 1880. But the argument he provides in support of this position is unconvincing.
What Stilgoe calls “romantic－era distrust” was in fact the reaction of a minority of writers， artistes， and intellectuals who distrusted the railroad not
so much for what it was as for what it signified. Thoreau and Hawthorne appreciated， even admired， an improved means of moving things and people from
one place to another. What these writers and others were concerned about was not
the new machinery as such， but the new kind of economy， social order， and culture that it prefigured. In addition， Stilgoe is wrong to imply that the critical attitude
of these writers was typical of the period: their distrust was largely a reaction
against the prevailing attitude in the 1830s that the railroad was an unqualified
improvement.
Stilgoe’s assertion that the ambivalence
toward the railroad exhibited by writers like Hawthorne and Thoreau disappeared
after the 1880s is also misleading. In support of this thesis， Stilgoe has unearthed an impressive volume of material， the work of hitherto unknown illustrators， journalists， and novelists， all devotees of the railroad； but it is not clear what this new material proves
except perhaps that the works of popular culture greatly expanded at the time. The
volume of the material proves nothing if Stilgoe’s point is that the earlier distrust
of a minority of intellectuals did not endure beyond the 1880s， and， oddly， much of Stilgoe’s other evidence indicates that it
did. When he glances at the treatment of railroads by writers like Henry James， Sinclair Lewis， or F. Scott Fitzgerald， what comes through in spite of Stilgoe’s analysis
is remarkably like Thoreau’s feeling of contrariety and ambivalence. （Had he looked at the work of Frank Norris， Eugene O’Neill， or Henry Adams， Stilgoe’s case would have been much stronger.） The point is that the sharp contrast between the
enthusiastic supporters of the railroad in the 1830s and the minority of intellectual
dissenters during that period extended into the 1880s and beyond.
7. The passage provides information to answer
all of the following questions EXCEPT:
（A） During what period did the railroad reach the zenith
of its popularity in the United States?
（B） How extensive was the impact of the railroad on the
Industrial Revolution in the United States， relative to that of other modern innovations?
（C） Who are some of the writers of the 1830s who expressed
ambivalence toward the railroad?
（D） In what way could Stilgoe have strengthened his argument
regarding intellectuals’ attitudes toward the railroad in the years after the 1880s?
（E） What arguments did the writers after the 1880s， as cited by Stilgoe， offer to justify their support for the railroad?
8. According to the author of the passage， Stilgoe uses the phrase “romantic－era distrust” （line 13） to imply that the view he is referring to was
（A） the attitude of a minority of intellectuals toward
technological innovation that began after 1830
（B） a commonly held attitude toward the railroad during
the 1830s
（C） an ambivalent view of the railroad expressed by many
poets and novelists between 1880 and 1930
（D） a critique of social and economic developments during
the 1830s by a minority of intellectuals
（E） an attitude toward the railroad that was disseminated
by works of popular culture after 1880
9. According to the author， the attitude toward the railroad that was reflected
in writings of Henry James， Sinclair Lewis， and F. Scott Fitzgerald was
（A） influenced by the writings of Frank Norris， Eugene O’Neill， and Henry Adams
（B） similar to that of the minority of writers who had
expressed ambivalence toward the railroad prior to the 1880s
（C） consistent with the public attitudes toward the railroad
that were reflected in works of popular culture after the 1880s
（D） largely a reaction to the works of writers who had
been severely critical of the railroad in the 1830s
（E） consistent with the prevailing attitude toward the
railroad during the 1830s
10. It can be inferred from the passage
that the author uses the phrase “works of popular culture” （line 41） primarily to refer to
the
（A） work of a large group of writers that was published
between 1880 and 1930 and that in Stilgoe’s view was highly critical of the railroad
（B） work of writers who were heavily influenced by Hawthorne
and Thoreau
（C） large volume of writing produced by Henry Adams， Sinclair Lewis， and Eugene O’Neill
（D） work of journalists， novelists， and illustrators who were responsible for creating
enthusiasm for the railroad during the 1830s
（E） work of journalists， novelists， and illustrators that was published after 1880 and
that has received little attention from scholars other than Stilgoe
11. Which one of the following can be inferred
from the passage regarding the work of Frank Norris， Eugene O’Neill， and Henry Adams?
（A） Their work never achieved broad popular appeal.
（B） Their ideas were disseminated to a large audience
by the popular culture of the early 1800s.
（C） Their work expressed a more positive attitude toward
the railroad than did that of Henry James， Sinclair Lewis， and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
（D） Although they were primarily novelists， some of their work could be classified as journalism.
（E） Although they were influenced by Thoreau， their attitude toward the railroad was significantly
different from his.
12. It can be inferred from the passage
that Stilgoe would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements
regarding the study of cultural history?
（A） It is impossible to know exactly what period historians
are referring to when they use the term “romantic era.”
（B） The writing of intellectuals often anticipates ideas
and movements that are later embraced by popular culture.
（C） Writers who were not popular in their own time tell
us little about the age in which they lived.
（D） The works of popular culture can serve as a reliable
indicator of public attitudes toward modern innovations like the railroad.
（E） The best source of information concerning the impact
of an event as large as the Industrial Revolution is the private letters and journals
of individuals.
13. The primary purpose of the passage is
to
（A） evaluate one scholar’s view of public attitudes toward
the railroad in the United States from the early nineteenth to the early twentieth
century
（B） review the treatment of the railroad in American
literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
（C） survey the views of cultural historians regarding
the railroad’s impact on major events in United States history
（D） explore the origins of the public support for the
railroad that existed after the completion of a national rail system in the United
States
（E） define what historians mean when they refer to the
“romantic－era distrust” of the railroad