Question 1: Select All That Apply
The question asks which statements the author would agree with, based on the text.

Passage analysis for relevance:
- The author states that the accusation of irrelevance is "frequently correct."
- The author then lists several ways critics make mistakes: "carelessly relates a work to an artist's biography, or employs pointless historic speculation, or invokes inappropriate creative standards, or describes the critic's own fuzzy reveries..."
- The author concludes: "Relevance and precision are critical to criticism."
- The final sentence notes that the "concern to find a correct method for constructing criticism" has "generated more controversy than any single commentator might hope to obfuscate with footnotes."

Evaluating the Choices:
(A) Critics can take many paths to making irrelevant critical remarks.
- Supported by the text. The text lists four distinct examples of irrelevance (biography, historical speculation, inappropriate standards, fuzzy reveries), showing that there are multiple ways (paths) to commit this error.
- Select (A).
(B) Pointless historical speculation can lead to irrelevant comments about critics.
- Not supported by the text. The text states that historical speculation leads to irrelevant comments about the work/object ("carelessly relates a work... or employs pointless historic speculation... to obscure the essential significance of the object before us"). It does not say it leads to irrelevant comments about critics.

- Do not select (B).
(C) The concern for defining a correct method of relevant criticism has engendered enormous controversy.
- Supported by the text. The final sentence states this concern "has generated more controversy than any single commentator might hope to obfuscate..." "Generated more controversy" is equivalent to "engendered enormous controversy."
- Select (C).

The author would agree with statements (A) and (C).

Question 2: Word in Context
The question asks for the meaning of "dearth" in the context of the sentence: "...there has never been a dearth of criticism that carelessly relates a work..."

If there has never been a dearth of careless criticism, it means there has always been plenty of it.
- Dearth means a scarcity or lack of something.
- "Never a dearth of X" means never a lack of X, or always an abundance of X.

We are looking for the word that means scarcity or lack.
- (A) sufficiency (Adequacy)
- (B) enigma (Mystery)
- (C) depredation (Act of plundering)
- (D) scarcity (A state of being scarce or in short supply) - Correct
- (E) inadequacy (Not sufficient)

The definition of "dearth" is scarcity.

Final Answers

Question 1:
(A) Critics can take many paths to making irrelevant critical remarks.
(C) The concern for defining a correct method of relevant criticism has engendered enormous controversy.

Question 2:
(D) scarcity