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Set 4: Central Ideas (Intermediate)

Explanation

Answer: D

PASSAGE

The following text discusses Modernist literature. Modernism, a movement that dominated Western culture in the early 20th century, arose from a sense of disillusionment with traditional values and forms of expression, particularly after the horrors of World War I. Modernist writers often rejected linear narratives and conventional grammar, experimenting instead with fragmentation and stream of consciousness to reflect the fractured nature of modern experience. They sought to 'make it new,' as Ezra Pound famously exhorted.

What motivated Modernist writers to reject traditional forms?

A. A desire to return to the simplicity of ancient storytelling
B. Disillusionment with traditional values and the trauma of World War I
C. Strict government censorship of linear narratives
D. The invention of the printing press✓ Correct

Detailed Explanation

Choice B is correct. The text explicitly links the movement to 'disillusionment with traditional values... particularly after the horrors of World War I.'

Key Evidence:

• "disillusionment with traditional values"

• "after the horrors of World War I"

Why others are wrong: A (Opposite ('make it new')), C (Not mentioned), D (Anachronistic (printing press was much earlieer)).

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