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Difficulty: EasyThemes and Thematic Interpretation in Prose

Read the extract below and answer the question that follows:

"In the village of Kwenna, the elders insisted that custom must be preserved at all costs, refusing to allow young girls to attend the new school built across the river. However, as trade with neighboring towns grew, families without educated members found themselves unable to negotiate prices or defend their land boundaries, forcing the community to rethink its longstanding traditions."

Which of the following best expresses the central theme of the passage?

  1. The tension between traditional practices and evolving societal needsAnswer
  2. B
    The absolute superiority of western schooling over indigenous culture
  3. C
    The inevitable economic collapse of agrarian rural communities
  4. D
    The personal narration of a young girl's struggles in school

Answer

The central theme of the passage is the tension between traditional practices and evolving societal needs.
The correct answer accurately synthesizes the main conflict in the extract, which contrasts the elders' rigid adherence to tradition with the practical economic pressures requiring modern education.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the opening premise of the prose extract.
Identified the initial stance: the elders' strict preservation of custom by banning girls from attending school.
Establishing the baseline cultural expectation helps locate the source of conflict.
2
Examine the shift introduced by the transition word 'However'.
Observed that changing economic realities created challenges for uneducated families, prompting a re-evaluation of traditions.
The resolution or core conflict point reveals the central thematic focus.
3
Synthesize the main conflict into a central theme statement.
Determined that the passage illustrates how tradition collides with modern necessities.
Matching the synthesized core message to the correct thematic summary confirms the accurate option.

Key Concept

Themes and Thematic Interpretation in Prose
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Topics

Themes and Thematic Interpretation in Prose

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