Comprehension
Read the passage and then determine the best choice for an answer from the questions given below. Base your choice on what this passage states directly or implies, not on any information you may have got from else where.
"The emancipation of women", James Joyce told one of his friends, "has caused the greatest revolution in our time."
Other modernists agree: Virginia Woolf, claiming that in a about 1910 "human character changed" and illustrating the new balance between the sexes, urged, "Read the 'Agamemon' and see whether your sympathies are not almost entirely with Clytemnestra". D.H. Lawrence wrote "perhaps the deepest fight for 200 years and more has been the fight for women's independence".
But if modernist writers considered women's revolt against men's domination as one of their "greatest" and "deepest" themes, only recently, perhaps in the past 15 years has literary criticism begun to catch up with it. Not that the images of sexual antagonism that abound in modern literature have gone unremarked - far from it. We are able to see in literary works the perspective we bring to them and now that women are enough to make a difference in reforming canons and interpreting literature, the landscapes of literary history and the features of individual books have begun to change.
Question: 1

According to the passage, modernists are changing literary criticism by :

Updated On: Aug 20, 2025
  • Noting instances of hostility between men and women
  • Seeing literature from fresh points of view
  • Studying the works of early twentieth-century writers
  • Reviewing books written by feminists
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

The passage provides insights into how modernists are changing literary criticism. It emphasizes the influence of the emancipation of women, as noted by James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and D.H. Lawrence. The key theme is recognizing and interpreting literature based on the evolving dynamics between men and women.
The passage discusses how modernist writers, such as Woolf and Lawrence, highlighted the changing balance between sexes as significant themes in their works. Although literary criticism has only recently caught up with this change, it suggests that the modernist movement is contributing fresh perspectives to literary analysis. Women's increased role in interpreting and reforming literary canons is reshaping literary history and individual books' interpretation.
This analysis directly aligns with the correct multiple-choice answer: "Seeing literature from fresh points of view." This choice reflects how modernists' new perspectives on relationships and the impact of female emancipation are influencing literary criticism.
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Question: 2

The author quotes James Joyce, Virginia Woolf and D.H. Lawrence primarily in order to show that:

Updated On: Aug 20, 2025
  • These were feminist writers
  • Although well-meaning, they were ineffectual
  • Before the twentieth century, there was little interest in women's literature
  • None of the above
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

The correct answer is: None of the above.
In examining the passage, the author mentions James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and D.H. Lawrence to highlight their recognition of the "emancipation of women" as a significant revolution in their time. These authors are not specifically labeled as feminist writers in the passage. The text does not imply that they were ineffectual either; rather, it acknowledges them as modernist writers who regarded women's independence as a profound theme. Furthermore, the reference does not suggest a lack of interest in women's literature prior to the twentieth century. The passage primarily points out that contemporary literary criticism is still coming to terms with the contributions that these women writers have made to literature. Hence, the most appropriate option is "None of the above".
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Question: 3

The author's attitude towards women's reformation of literary canons can best be described as one of:

Updated On: Aug 20, 2025
  • Ambivalence
  • Antagonism
  • Indifference
  • Endorsement
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

The correct answer is Endorsement. The passage discusses the revolution in women's emancipation and the significant impact it has had according to key figures in modernist literature such as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and D.H. Lawrence. These authors recognized women's independence as a major theme and revolutionary change. It is emphasized that this shift has only started to be acknowledged in literary criticism over the past 15 years, with women playing a significant role in reforming literary canons and interpretations. This indicates an attitude of endorsement towards the reformation efforts led by women, as it aligns with the perceived recognition and shift mentioned by the author.
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Question: 4

Which of the following titles best describes the contents of the passage?

Updated On: Aug 20, 2025
  • Modernist Writers and the Search for Equality
  • The meaning of Literature from 1910 onwards
  • Transforming Literature
  • None of the options
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

The passage discusses the profound impact of gender equality on literature, particularly as highlighted by modernist writers like James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and D.H. Lawrence. They consider the emancipation of women a major transformative force of their era, affecting both societal norms and literary themes. This shift in gender dynamics is a pivotal theme that, although long acknowledged by writers, only recently gained significant attention in literary criticism. Therefore, the best title that encapsulates the essence of the passage, focusing on how the movements for gender equality have reshaped literature, is: Transforming Literature.
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