Question

American literature developed in stages. At first, in America's colonial days, there was little sense of an "American" literary style, and American writers usually tried to imitate successful British and European authors. In the 1800s, American literary identity began to develop, with themes of freedom, individuality, newness, and political and cultural inclusivity dominating the works of a variety of American authors. Once the 20th century began, American literature was truly flourishing, and over the course of the century, it greatly increased in breadth and sophistication; by the end of the millennium, American authors were leaders in global literary culture. Now the 21st century is just beginning, but it promises to bring new directions in American literature just as the past centuries have.
Which statement analyzes the way chronology supports the meaning of the story?

A. It uses a flashback to show that American literature of the past is very similar to that of the present.
B. It describes the stages of American literature in chronological order to show how each period relates to the ones before and after.
C. It focuses on the present because that is the period readers are most likely to be familiar with.
D. It begins with the earliest days of American literature because the beginning is usually the most interesting part of a process.

Answer 1

Answer: B. It describes the stages of American literature in chronological order to show how each period relates to the ones before and after.

Explanation: We  see that the paragraph starts out with America's colonial day's. Since the colonists were new to the area they looked to where they came from to help them write literature because they just didn't know how to do it on their own yet. Then we get to the American Revolutionary War, towards the end of 1700's, which helps create a new identity for the colonists. They are were no longer under the tyranny of the British government, which allowed for them to explore their new found freedom, create an identity, and live a life they they wanted now. They could be creative without the backlash of the British Government.  Then we go into the 1800's, which during this era, there were many wars, exploration of the new land, a government had been established, land was being obtained, and people were moving out of the 13 colonies. Then we go into the 20th century, 1900's. 1900's was an era in which this nation experienced many life changing events. It was times of WW1, Roaring 20s, Great Depression, WW2, Korean War, presidents changing policies for the better or for the worse of this nation, Vietnam War, Hippies Era, time where drugs where introduced, advancements in medicine, Civil Rights Movements, and many more events that changed this nation. Now we are in the 21st century current events change the scope of literature, like it did in the past. Experimenting with different genres together creates new literature.

Hope this help kiddo.

Answer 2

Answer:

B

Explanation: