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17 Mar 2025, 21:14
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Difficulty:
95%
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Question Stats:
24% (01:56) correct
76%
(02:36)
wrong
based on 72
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At the turn of the 20th century, England was obsessed with spiritualism. People from all strata of society were fascinated by séances, after-death survival, ghosts, precognitions, and clairvoyance. Famous mediums such as Eusapia Palladino, Ada Goodrich Freer and Etta Wriedt travelled around Europe to demonstrate their powers to levitate tables, communicate with spirits of the dead, or produce ‘ectoplasm’, a mysterious half-material, half-spiritual substance coming out of one or more of the medium’s bodily orifices. Not infrequently for a hefty fee, of course.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument that the widespread fascination with spiritualism was primarily driven by a belief in the possibility of life after death?
A) In several major cities, people who had recently experienced the death of close relatives were more likely to attend séances than those who had not, suggesting that the belief in an afterlife was especially appealing to the grieving.
B) A significant number of participants in séances reported that they sought solace in the idea of communicating with the dead, which they believed could offer closure, reinforcing the idea that spiritualism was a response to personal loss.
C) Although many séances involved physical phenomena such as table levitations or the production of ectoplasm, the most successful mediums were those who could provide specific details about the deceased, which participants interpreted as evidence of afterlife communication.
D) The spread of spiritualism was most rapid in areas with a high concentration of intellectuals and cultural elites, suggesting that the movement was driven more by intellectual curiosity than by a desire for proof of the afterlife.
E) In the aftermath of significant public tragedies, such as wars or famines, there was a surge in interest in séances and other spiritualist practices, suggesting that large-scale societal trauma spurred the belief in the possibility of an afterlife.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument that the widespread fascination with spiritualism was primarily driven by a belief in the possibility of life after death?
A) In several major cities, people who had recently experienced the death of close relatives were more likely to attend séances than those who had not, suggesting that the belief in an afterlife was especially appealing to the grieving.
B) A significant number of participants in séances reported that they sought solace in the idea of communicating with the dead, which they believed could offer closure, reinforcing the idea that spiritualism was a response to personal loss.
C) Although many séances involved physical phenomena such as table levitations or the production of ectoplasm, the most successful mediums were those who could provide specific details about the deceased, which participants interpreted as evidence of afterlife communication.
D) The spread of spiritualism was most rapid in areas with a high concentration of intellectuals and cultural elites, suggesting that the movement was driven more by intellectual curiosity than by a desire for proof of the afterlife.
E) In the aftermath of significant public tragedies, such as wars or famines, there was a surge in interest in séances and other spiritualist practices, suggesting that large-scale societal trauma spurred the belief in the possibility of an afterlife.
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18 Mar 2025, 05:53
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Correct Answer:
A) In several major cities, people who had recently experienced the death of close relatives were more likely to attend séances than those who had not, suggesting that the belief in an afterlife was especially appealing to the grieving.
Explanation:
Option A most directly strengthens the argument by showing a clear connection between personal grief and the desire for afterlife communication. It suggests that the fascination with spiritualism was not just general curiosity but specifically linked to emotional needs, such as the belief in an afterlife as a means to cope with loss. The other options, while related, either focus on less direct evidence of belief in an afterlife (B and C), suggest other motivations like intellectual curiosity (D), or focus on broader social factors (E) that don't directly link spiritualism to the desire for proof of life after death.
