Read the passage below:
Don Aurelio adjusted his magnifying loupe, his fingers tracing the delicate gears of a gold pocket watch that had belonged to the town’s former mayor. Outside his workshop, the plaza buzzed with the sounds of modern life—motorcycles sputtering, tourists chatting, and neon signs flickering. For Don Aurelio, each ticking mechanism in his shop was a rebellion against this chaotic acceleration of time. The villagers often regarded him as a stubborn relic of the past, someone who clung to useless antiquities. Yet, to Aurelio, his work was not about resisting progress, but about preserving the rhythm of human memory. When the young mayor proposed replacing the historic plaza clock with a digital display, Aurelio did not anger. Instead, he smiled, knowing that the digital face would never capture the slow, deliberate heartbeat of the town's history, a heartbeat he had spent decades keeping alive.
Based on the passage, which of the following best describes the contrast between the villagers' perspective of Don Aurelio and his own self-perspective?
- AThe villagers believe he is motivated by political opposition to the new mayor, whereas he is actually trying to protect his watchmaking business from financial ruin.
- BThe villagers view him as a symbol of the town's future technological progress, whereas he is nostalgic for a time when he lived in the capital.
- The villagers view him as an outdated traditionalist who opposes modernization, whereas he sees himself as a guardian of the town's collective memory and heritage.Answer
- DThe villagers value his workshop as a scientific laboratory, whereas he believes the clocks possess a physical, biological heartbeat that keeps the townspeople alive.