Literary Focus: Modernism and Postmodernism

Which quote from the text most likely explains why modernism emerged?

• “With the Second Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s, daily life became more fast-paced, mechanized, and urban.”

• “After World War I (1914–1918), traditional class structures began to break down in Europe and the United States.”

• “It was a time of science and progress, rational thought and psychology.”

• All of the above.

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What information does the following passage (paragraph 1) mainly reveal about modernism and postmodernism?

• It is wrong to vilify reality show contestants.

• Modernism and postmodernism continue to affect popular culture today.

• Reality shows are not as “real” as they claim to be.

• Modernism and postmodernism are unrelated.

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Which of the following inferences is best supported by the passage below (paragraph 3)?

• Modernism was very different from the movements that came before it.

• An unreliable narrator is the defining characteristic of a modernist work.

• The transition from realism to subjective interiority was unintentional.

• D. All of the above
  

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The following passage (paragraph 4) adds to the development of the text mainly by suggesting that _____________.

• the end of colonialism allowed previously unheard voices to be heard

• postmodernism was the first movement to introduce the “everyday” into novels

• the literary world responded well to these new voices and perspectives

• World War II had a devastating effect on the world

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Which of the following selections best explains why many modernist authors and artists rejected realism in their work?

• They felt that realism was boring and wanted to be more creative.

• Rejecting realism was a form of protest after World War I.

• They wanted their work to reflect the new sense of instability in the world.

• They believed realism was for the elite and wanted to create new art for the people.

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Which sentence from the excerpt best supports the answer to Question 5?

• As a result, many rejected realism, the practice of representing or depicting people, places, and situations as close to how they look in real life as possible.”

• “Think about your favorite reality show. Just how real is it?”

• “Instead, their works explored the subjective interiority of a narrator’s inner life and the fragmentation of time.”

• Modern writers felt alienated from the stable, pre-war world they had previously known."

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Which of the following statements about modernist and postmodernist literature’s similarities is best supported by the text?

• Both movements focus on the reader’s experience reading the text.

• Modernism and postmodernism rely on coherent meaning and a linear narrative.

• The two movements are characterized by an unreliable narrator.

• Each movement expresses the complexity and changes of their time.

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Which sentence from the excerpt best supports the answer to Question 7?

• “Postmodern texts mix and give equal weight to ‘high culture’ and popular culture.”

• “Though different in style and form, modernist and postmodernist literature reflect a complicated and ever-changing reality.”

• The author uses clear, everyday language to engage the audience and offset the often complicated narrative structure.”

• “Unlike modernist writers, postmodernist writers focus on exteriority.”

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Match the following

• exteriority

• To produce a humorously exaggerated imitation of a writer, artist, or genre

• fragmentation

• A person’s thoughts, feelings, and reactions to events, perceived as a continuous flow

• interiority

• The process or state of breaking or being broken into small or seperate parts

• parody

• The surface or structure of something outside of the self

• stream of consciousness

• Relating to one's thoughts, feelings, and reactions to a situation

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Order these concepts chronologically as they are discussed in the text:

• Literature features everyday language, narrative fragmentation, and experimentalism.

• Literary realism is replaced by subjective interiority and the fragmentation of time.

• Narrators are given his or her own unique and often conflicting perspectives.

• World War I causes writers to feel disconnected from their past lives.

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