Question 1619 : The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures
the essence of the passage.
Lyric poetry is a genre of private meditation rather than public commitment. The impulse in Marxism toward
changing a society deemed unacceptable in its basic design would seem to place demands on lyric poetry
that such poetry, with its tendency toward the personal, the small scale, and the idiosyncratic, could never
answer. There is within Marxism, however, also a strand of thought that would locate in lyric poetry
alternative modes of perception and description that call forth a vision of worlds at odds with a repressive
reality or that draw attention to the workings of ideology within the hegemonic culture. The poetic
imagination may indeed deflect larger social concerns, but it may also be implicitly critical and utopian.
the essence of the passage.
Lyric poetry is a genre of private meditation rather than public commitment. The impulse in Marxism toward
changing a society deemed unacceptable in its basic design would seem to place demands on lyric poetry
that such poetry, with its tendency toward the personal, the small scale, and the idiosyncratic, could never
answer. There is within Marxism, however, also a strand of thought that would locate in lyric poetry
alternative modes of perception and description that call forth a vision of worlds at odds with a repressive
reality or that draw attention to the workings of ideology within the hegemonic culture. The poetic
imagination may indeed deflect larger social concerns, but it may also be implicitly critical and utopian.
Video Explanation
Explanatory Answer
The passage contrasts the personal, introspective nature of lyric poetry with Marxism's outward focus on
societal change. At first glance, the characteristics of lyric poetry - being personal, small-scale, and
idiosyncratic - seem incompatible with Marxism's demand for a transformative critique of an unjust society.
However, the passage introduces a nuanced perspective within Marxist thought, which recognises lyric poetry
as having an implicit critical and utopian function. Through its imaginative and alternative modes of perception,
lyric poetry can challenge dominant ideologies and suggest a vision of resistance to oppression. Thus, while
lyric poetry does not directly engage with large-scale social concerns, it can still align with Marxist ideals by
offering subtle forms of critique and hope for change. Option C most effectively captures this idea.
None of the other choices present a valid interpretation of the passage. For instance, Option A oversimplifies
the issue by portraying lyric poetry as merely ‘utopian,” ignoring its critical and resistant potential as described
in the passage. It misses the nuanced compatibility suggested between lyric poetry and Marxism. Option B
inaccurately suggests that Marxism has “internal contradictions,” which is not the focus of the passage.
Similarly, Option D frames Marxism as dismissive of lyric poetry, ignoring the strand of Marxist thought that
finds value in poetry's alternative perspectives; this misrepresentation makes it a weaker summary