Question

This passage is primarily interested in which of the following?

• A. Investigating the factors that brought about the Marvel revolution and the Silver Age of comic books
• B. Reviewing the factors that brought about the end of the Golden Age of comic books
• C. Comparing and contrasting two eras in the history of comic books
• D. Condemning the horror comic book for its corrupting influence on the nation's youth
• E. Evaluating the historical legacy of William Gaines’s EC Comics
• A. They sought to head off the censorship of the Comics Code Authority by voluntarily prohibiting stories dealing with sexuality, drugs, or criminal behavior.
• B. They introduced characters such as Superman and The Spirit.
• C. They unintentionally laid the groundwork for the transition from the Golden Age of comic books to the Silver Age.
• D. They focused increasingly on flashy artwork and less on well-developed stories.
• J. They responded to the competitive pressure from horror comic books by increasing the amount of violence in their stories.
• A. Adults reading violent comic books were as likely to be corrupted by them as young people were.
• B. The horror comic books of the late 1940s were inferior to the superhero comic books that gained popularity during World War II.
• C. Comic books were leading the nation’s youth into crime, violence, and drug abuse.
• D. Creating a regulatory board to censor the comic book industry would drive the worst offenders out of the business.
• O. Comic books would never be able to convey stories of any serious literary merit.
• A. They were able to create popular comic books despite the regulations of the Comics Code Authority.
• B. They achieved commercial success because of the popularity of characters such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, and the Fantastic Four.
• C. They repeated the same mistakes as the comic book companies of the Golden Age.
• D. They failed to succeed because of the numbing effect of the Comics Code Authority regulations.
• T. Marvel Comics was the only major comic book company to survive from the Golden Age into the Silver Age.
• A. As a fanatical crusade brought about by Wertham’s inner demons
• B. As a witch-hunt roughly analogous to the concurrent anti-Communist hearings by the House Committee on Un-American Activities
• C. As a reasonable response to an industry that had gone too far
• D. As an angry response to a trend in the subject matter of the comic book industry
• Y. As an inappropriate response to a phenomenon that was not actually hurting anyone
• A. Their adult-oriented content was not suitable for young readers.
• B. Their grim and gritty content was a market response to the demands of soldiers home from World War II.
• C. They frequently depicted violence and criminal behavior, but shied away from sexuality or drug abuse.
• D. Their sales surpassed those of previous best-selling titles such as Superman or Batman.
• ^. The publication of {Weird Fantasy} #1 coincided with the end of the Golden Age of comic books.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The passage discusses the factors that led to the end of the Golden Age of comic books, particularly focusing on the rise of horror comic books and the backlash that followed. Therefore, the correct answer is (B).
Step 1: Identify the key themes in the passage.
The passage provides a historical context about how the Golden Age of comic books ended and how various influences shaped the industry. It does not focus on the Marvel revolution or William Gaines's legacy.
Step 2: Review the answer choices.
- (A) This option talks about the Marvel revolution, but the passage is more focused on the end of the Golden Age, not the rise of Marvel.
- (B) This option accurately reflects the passage’s focus on the end of the Golden Age and the contributing factors.
- (C) The passage does not directly compare the two eras, so this option is not the best fit.
- (D) While the passage mentions the horror comic book genre, its main focus is on the end of the Golden Age, not specifically condemning the genre.
- (E) The passage does not focus on William Gaines's legacy, making this option less relevant.
Conclusion:
The best answer is (B) because it directly addresses the primary interest of the passage, which is the end of the Golden Age of comic books.

Answer 2

Step 1: Understand the passage’s information.
The passage mentions that creators of superhero comic books responded to the popularity of horror comic books by increasing the violence in their own stories. This directly supports option (E).
Step 2: Review the answer choices.
- (A) The passage mentions that the Comics Code Authority censored comic books but does not suggest that creators voluntarily prohibited themes.
- (B) While Superman and The Spirit were introduced, this option doesn’t relate to the actions of postwar creators specifically.
- (C) The passage does not imply that creators laid the groundwork for the Silver Age; instead, it focuses on their response to horror comics.
- (D) The passage does not state that creators focused on flashy artwork at the expense of story development.
- (E) This option directly matches the passage’s claim that superhero comic book creators responded to the success of horror comics by increasing violence.
Conclusion:
Therefore, the best answer is (E), as it directly reflects the creators’ actions in response to horror comics.

Answer 3

Step 1: Understand the central message of Wertham’s book.
The passage describes how Wertham’s book, *The Seduction of the Innocent*, argued that comic books were leading children into crime, violence, and drug abuse. This aligns with option (C).
Step 2: Review the answer choices.
- (A) Although Wertham may have believed comic books had a negative impact, the passage does not suggest he thought adults were as affected as children.
- (B) The passage does not compare the superiority of superhero comics over horror comics.
- (C) This is the central claim of Wertham’s book, as described in the passage.
- (D) The passage does not discuss the creation of a regulatory board to target the worst offenders.
- (E) Wertham’s argument was not focused on the literary merit of comic books, but on their social influence.
Conclusion:
Thus, the correct answer is (C), as it directly reflects Wertham’s central argument.

Answer 4

Step 1: Understand the implications of the final paragraph.
The final paragraph discusses how Marvel Comics and other companies succeeded in creating popular comic books despite the restrictions of the Comics Code Authority. This supports option (A).
Step 2: Review the answer choices.
- (A) This option directly matches the passage’s description of Marvel Comics overcoming the regulations.
- (B) The popularity of characters like Spider-Man and the Hulk is mentioned, but it does not directly address the issue of the Comics Code Authority.
- (C) The passage does not state that they repeated the mistakes of the Golden Age; it focuses on their success.
- (D) The passage does not suggest failure, but rather success despite the regulations.
- (E) The passage mentions Marvel’s success but does not state that it was the only company to survive.
Conclusion:
Therefore, the correct answer is (A) because it best reflects the ability of comic book companies to succeed despite the regulations.

Answer 5

Step 1: Analyze the final paragraph of the passage.
The final paragraph of the passage suggests that Fredric Wertham’s efforts to regulate comic books were misplaced because the comic book industry was not causing the harm he claimed. This suggests that his actions were an inappropriate response.
Step 2: Review the answer choices.
- (A) There is no mention of Wertham’s inner demons in the passage, so this is not supported.
- (B) The passage does not compare Wertham’s actions to the anti-Communist hearings, so this is not the best option.
- (C) The passage does not describe Wertham’s actions as reasonable but rather as an overreaction.
- (D) The passage describes Wertham’s response to comic books as excessive, not simply angry at trends.
- (E) This option directly matches the passage’s depiction of Wertham’s response to the comic book industry.
Conclusion:
The best answer is (E), as it describes Wertham’s efforts as an inappropriate reaction to a phenomenon that was not causing harm.

Answer 6

Step 1: Understand the passage's context.
The passage explains that comic books like *Weird Fantasy* and *The Crypt of Terror* were created to cater to the market demands of soldiers returning from World War II, seeking more mature, adult content. This directly supports option (B).
Step 2: Review the answer choices.
- (A) While the content was adult-oriented, the passage does not explicitly state that it was unsuitable for young readers.
- (B) This option directly matches the passage, which describes how these comics were created in response to the demands of returning soldiers.
- (C) The passage does not focus on whether the comics avoided certain content like sexuality or drug abuse.
- (D) There is no mention in the passage of sales comparisons to other best-selling titles like Superman or Batman.
- (E) The publication of *Weird Fantasy* #1 is not connected to the end of the Golden Age in the passage.
Conclusion:
The best answer is (B), as it reflects the market demand that influenced the content of the comics.