Reading & VocabularyHard

Duolingo English Test Complete the Sentence Practice #14 (Hard Level)

How to practice: This set collects only the Complete the Sentence question type from the real DET (Duolingo English Test), covering DET Reading & Vocabulary questions. No grading and no timer, so solve it yourself, then tap each question to reveal the answer or model response.
Q1 · Fill in the Blank
Roland Barthes famously declared the 'death of the author, ' arguing that a text's meaning is generated not by its creator's intentions but by
  1. A. the cultural and linguistic codes that readers bring to it.
  2. B. the biographical circumstances of the writer's life.
  3. C. the critical consensus established by academic institutions.
  4. D. the chronological sequence of the narrative events.
Show Answer
Correct: the cultural and linguistic codes that readers bring to it.
Q2 · Fill in the Blank
The concept of 'negative capability, ' coined by John Keats, describes the capacity of the artist to remain
  1. A. in uncertainty and doubt without irritably reaching after reason.
  2. B. detached from the emotional content of their subject matter.
  3. C. committed to rational clarity even in conditions of ambiguity.
  4. D. aloof from critical responses to their creative work.
Show Answer
Correct: in uncertainty and doubt without irritably reaching after reason.
Q3 · Fill in the Blank
Postmodern literature characteristically challenges grand narratives and universal truths, instead embracing
  1. A. fragmentation, irony, and the instability of meaning.
  2. B. coherent plot structures and reliable narrators.
  3. C. moralistic conclusions and redemptive character arcs.
  4. D. chronological storytelling and objective representation.
Show Answer
Correct: fragmentation, irony, and the instability of meaning.
Q4 · Fill in the Blank
In Plato's allegory of the cave, the prisoners who mistake shadows for reality serve as a metaphor for those who
  1. A. accept sensory appearances as ultimate truth without philosophical inquiry.
  2. B. deliberately deceive others for political gain.
  3. C. reject artistic representation as morally dangerous.
  4. D. pursue knowledge through empirical observation alone.
Show Answer
Correct: accept sensory appearances as ultimate truth without philosophical inquiry.
Q5 · Fill in the Blank
The doctrine of 'art for art's sake' asserts that art needs no
  1. A. moral, political, or utilitarian justification beyond its own beauty.
  2. B. technical skill or formal mastery to achieve its intended effect.
  3. C. audience in order to constitute a meaningful cultural object.
  4. D. connection to the historical moment in which it was created.
Show Answer
Correct: moral, political, or utilitarian justification beyond its own beauty.
Q6 · Fill in the Blank
When critics describe a literary work as 'carnivalesque, ' following Bakhtin's concept, they mean that it
  1. A. subverts social hierarchies through humor, parody, and transgression.
  2. B. adheres strictly to classical conventions of dramatic structure.
  3. C. prioritizes entertainment over intellectual or political content.
  4. D. celebrates cultural traditions through festive ceremonial imagery.
Show Answer
Correct: subverts social hierarchies through humor, parody, and transgression.

More “Complete the Sentence” sets at other levels · Browse the full DET question bank