“We lived in a culture that denied any merit to literary works, considering them important only when they were handmaidens to something seemingly more urgent – namely ideology. This was a country where all gestures, even the most private, were interpreted in political terms.”
The author’s belief that ideology is not as important as literature is revealed by the word:
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Answer: B
To understand the author's perspective, let us analyze the key sentence in the passage:
"...considering them [literary works] important only when they were handmaidens to something seemingly more urgent – namely ideology."
Here is why the word 'seemingly' is the correct choice:
- The word 'seemingly' means "apparently" or "on the surface," implying that while something appears to be a certain way, the reality is actually different.
- By describing ideology as "seemingly more urgent" than literature, the author suggests that the culture mistakenly perceived ideology to be more important, whereas the author believes literature possesses genuine, intrinsic merit that is not subordinate to ideology.
Elimination of other options:
- A. 'culture': This is a neutral noun used to describe the societal environment the author lived in, without indicating any personal value judgment about literature versus ideology.
- C. 'urgent': On its own, "urgent" would imply that ideology actually is more pressing. It is the qualifier "seemingly" that subverts this meaning.
- D. 'political': This describes how private gestures were interpreted by the state/society, which does not directly contrast the value of literature with ideology.
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