Read the passage and answer the questions that follow on the basis of the…
2024
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow on the basis of the information provided in the passage.
The last half of my life has been lived in one of those painful epochs of human history during which the world is getting worse, and past victories which had seemed to be definitive have turned out to be only temporary. When I was young, Victorian optimism was taken for granted. It was thought that freedom and prosperity would speed gradually throughout the world by an orderly process, and it was hoped that cruelty, tyranny, and injustice would continually diminish. Hardly anyone was haunted by the fear of great wars. Hardly anyone thought of the nineteenth century as a brief interlude between past and future barbarism.
A brief interlude between past and future barbarism can be interpreted as
- A.
a dramatic performance during wars
- B.
an interval between cruel wars
- C.
a short space of time between two great events
- D.
a short period of time between past and future acts of savagery.
Attempted by 11 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Answer: a short period of time between past and future acts of savagery.
Explanation:
"Brief interlude" means a short period of time.
"Barbarism" refers to cruelty, savagery, or uncivilized acts.
In context, the author says the nineteenth century was viewed as a temporary peaceful period between brutal eras, so the phrase means a short interval between acts of savagery.
Why the other choices are incorrect:
"a dramatic performance during wars" is wrong because 'interlude' here means a short interval, not a theatrical performance, and 'barbarism' means cruelty, not drama.
"an interval between cruel wars" is not the best choice because it restricts 'barbarism' to wars only; the passage refers more generally to eras of cruelty or savagery.
"a short space of time between two great events" is too vague; the original phrase specifies a gap between periods of barbarism (cruel acts), not simply between two important events.