The observation of the novelist Mary McCarthy reveals:
2014
The observation of the novelist Mary McCarthy reveals:
Answer: B. dichotomy of conscience on political ideas and novels — ConceptA passage-based inference must be drawn from the passage’s explicit wording and its immediate implication, rather than from outside assumptions. When…
- A.
unseen felt ideas of today in the novel
- B.
dichotomy of conscience on political ideas and novels
- C.
compatibility between idea and novel
- D.
endless ideas and novels
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
A passage-based inference must be drawn from the passage’s explicit wording and its immediate implication, rather than from outside assumptions.
When attraction and resistance appear together, they indicate ambivalence or a divided conscience.
Application
Mary McCarthy says that ideas are felt to be unsightly in the novel, yet novelists feel attracted to ideas while also taking up arms against them. The passage itself describes this formulation as revealing a divided conscience and a dilemma about the relation between ideas and the novel.
Contrast
‘Unseen felt ideas of today’ confuses ‘unsightly’ with ‘unseen’ and merges ideas with the separate notion of felt reality.
‘Compatibility between idea and novel’ removes the tension and incompatibility emphasized in the passage.
‘Endless ideas and novels’ is not a claim made in the passage.
Result
Therefore, the observation reveals a dichotomy of conscience concerning political ideas and novels.