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Difficulty: EasyThemes and Thematic Interpretation in Prose

Read the prose extract below carefully and answer the question that follows.

"In the village of Umudi, young Nnamdi watched as the ancient sacred grove was cleared to make way for a modern asphalt highway. Though the elders mourned the loss of their ancestral shrine, the youth celebrated the promise of commercial trade and motorcars. Nnamdi stood at the clearing, torn between reverence for his grandfather's heritage and the alluring prospect of technological progress."

Which of the following central themes is predominantly explored in the passage?

  1. The conflict between tradition and modernityAnswer
  2. B
    The absolute triumph of environmental conservation
  3. C
    The complete destruction of moral values in urban centers
  4. D
    The technical superiority of first-person narration

Answer

The conflict between tradition and modernity
The excerpt establishes a central thematic tension between traditional ancestral heritage (represented by the elders and sacred grove) and modern development (represented by the youth, highway, and trade). Nnamdi's conflict embodies this struggle between old customs and new ways.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the central tension presented in the narrative extract.
Identified two opposing forces: elders preserving ancestral heritage vs. youth embracing new asphalt highway and trade.
Themes in prose are derived from the primary conflicts and character dilemmas in the narrative.
2
Evaluate Nnamdi's personal dilemma.
Nnamdi is torn between traditional reverence and modern economic progress.
A protagonist's internal conflict often encapsulates the central theme of a literary passage.
3
Select the overarching thematic statement supported directly by textual evidence.
The central theme is the conflict between tradition and modernity.
The text explicitly balances cultural loss against societal advancement.

Key Concept

Themes and Thematic Interpretation in Prose
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Themes and Thematic Interpretation in Prose

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