27. According to the passage, the railroad played a significant role in literature in all of the following kinds of books EXCEPT
(A) thrillers
(B) boys' books
(C) important novels
(D) romances

23. With which of the following topics is the passage mainly concerned? (A) The role of the railroad in the economy of the United States (B) Major nineteenth - century writers (C) The conflict between expanding industry and preserving nature (D) The railroad as a subject for literature.

24. The word "it" in line 7 refers to (A) railroad (B) manifestation (C) speed (D) nature

25. In the first paragraph, the author implies that writers reactions to the development of railroads were (A) highly enthusiastic (B) both positive and negative (C) unchanging (D) disinterested

26. The word "lamented" in line 10 is closest in meaning to (A) complained about (B) analyzed (C) explained (D) reflected on

28. The phrase "first rank" in line 16 is closest in meaning to (A) largest category (B) highest quality (C) earliest writers (D) most difficult language

29. The word "them" in line 18 refers to (A) novels (B) years (C) individuals (D) works

30. The author mentions all of the following as being true about the literature of railroads EXCEPT that (A) many of its writers had experience working on railroads (B) many of the books were set in railroad stations and yards (C) the books were well known during the railroads' prime years (D) quite a few of the books are still popular today

31. The words "faded from" in line 21 are closest in meaning to (A) grew in (B) disappeared from (C) remained in (D) developed from

32. What is the author's attitude toward the "railroad novels" and other books about railroads written between 1890 and 1920? (A) They have as much literary importance as the books written by Emerson. Thoreau and Adams. (B) They are good examples of the effects industry and business had on the literature of the United States. (C) They contributed to the weakening of traditional values. (D) They are worth reading as sources of knowledge about the impact of railroads on life in the United States

33. What is the passage mainly about? (A) Steamboat engines in the western United States (B) River travel in the western United States (C) A famous United States inventor (D) The world's first practical steamboat