Naturalism, arising in the 19th century as a literary response to Darw

Question

Naturalism, arising in the 19th century as a literary response to Darwin’s account of evolution, focused on describing everyday reality but differed from realism in its attempts to provide a “scientific” foundation for its depictions of characters, stressing the influence of environment and heredity upon the individual psyche  Émile Zola , in particular, saw his craft as an extension of the scientific method into the domain of art. The 19th century, perhaps in opposition to naturalism, saw the rise of the Decadent movement, embracing artifice over nature in their writing, championed by Zola’s erstwhile protégé, Joris-Karl Huysmans. The protagonist of his masterpiece,  Á rebours  (literally,  Against the Grain , but more commonly translated as  Against Nature ), removes himself from society—viewing it as the product of a nature long surpassed by human ingenuity—and surrounds himself exclusively with art, perfume, literature, and technology.    1 
 1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about perfume?

I. Some followers of the Decadent movement considered it to be an example of human artifice.
II. Some followers of the Decadent movement considered it to be superior to natural entities.
III. Some followers of the Decadent movement enjoyed surrounding themselves with it.

A. I Only
B. II Only
C. III Only
D. I and II Only
E. II and III Only

2 
 2. Which of the following, if true, would undermine the claim that the Decadent movement was opposed to naturalism?

I. Decadent authors intended to use literature as a vehicle for the scientific method.
II. Decadent authors focused on the effects of environment on shaping character.
III. Decadent authors elaborated on the way inherited traits influenced human behavior.

A. I Only
B. III Only
C. I and III Only
D. II and III Only
E. I, II, and III

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 146 Date: 12-May-2023
 This question is part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

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ANBARASI · Answer

May I get the explanation of answer no. 1 ?

Posted from my mobile device

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about perfume?

Explanation

You are told that Decadent authors embraced artifice over nature, and that Huysmans’s protagonist in an example of Decadent writing surrounds himself with perfume, among other items. You can thus infer that at least one follower of the Decadent movement considered perfume to be an example of artifice, and that he held it to have surpassed, or be superior to, natural entities. But you do not know that Huysmans enjoyed surrounding himself with the perfume—only that his character did so.

Answer: D

mitul19 · Answer

In Q2, Can someone explain why Usage of literature as a vehicle for the scientific method is undermining the claim that the Decadent movement was opposed to naturalism? IMO answer should be option D.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. Which of the following, if true, would undermine the claim that the Decadent movement was opposed to naturalism?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

All three of the features are listed as characteristic of the Naturalist movement.  “Vehicle for the scientific method”  matches  “extending the scientific method,”  while  “focused on the effects of environment on shaping character”  and  “elaborated on the way inherited traits influenced human behavior”  both match the passage’s claim that Naturalism stressed  “the influence of environment and heredity upon the individual psyche.”  If Decadent authors embraced any of these literary practices, this would bring their work closer in line with Naturalism.

Answer: E

VerbalBot · Answer

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Naturalism, arising in the 19th century as a literary response to Darw

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Naturalism, arising in the 19th century as a literary response to Darw

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