Reading for the Real World 2 Second Edition – Test Bank

Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder

Cupid and Psyche is one of the most popular Greek myths and has spawned several modern adaptations. (a) One of the most popular is “Beauty and the Beast,” a fairy tale in which the love of a beautiful girl transforms an ugly beast into a handsome prince.

Like Psyche, the girl in “Beauty” goes willingly to the home of a hideous monster, who treats her well. (b) Unlike Cupid, however, the beast in “Beauty” is truly ugly, so the girl repeatedly refuses his offers of marriage. It is only at the end of the story, when the beast has died, that the girl’s loving tears break an evil spell and magically transform him into a prince.
Child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim interpreted both stories as metaphors for the development of human consciousness. In his view, myths touch children at a deep level, where their sexual anxieties lie. (c) Stories about Cupid and Psyche help reconcile the human aspects of wisdom and sexuality. For example, the use of a monstrous husband assures children that their fear of intimacy as not something beastly is perfectly normal. (d) As the story develops and the characters learn that their partner is a lovely person despite their appearance, so will children.
(e) Thus, when the girl in “Beauty” discovers that her “beast” is really a handsome prince---like Psyche when she discovers that Cupid is a god---she is reassured that sex is potentially beautiful. This is the first step in realizing that a healthy relationship is more than sex and that both partners must live a full life as equals to be truly happy.
1. Choose the sentence that best shows the similarities between the two stories.

 (a)

 (b)

 (c)

 (d)

 (e)
2. What is NOT true, according to the passage?

 The girl in each story goes to a monster’s home.

 “Beauty and the Beast” is based upon Cupid and Psyche.

 The stories reassure children that their fears are normal.

 The goal of Greek myths was to develop consciousness.

 Good relationships require partners who view each other as equals.