Despite their many differences of temperament and of literary perspective, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman sh

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问题 Despite their many differences of temperament and of literary perspective, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman shared certain beliefs. Common to all these writers is their humanistic perspective. Its basic premises are that humans are the spiritual center of the universe and that in them alone is the clue to nature, history, and ultimately the cosmos. Without denying outright the existence of a deity, this perspective explains humans and the world in terms of humanity.
    This common perspective is almost always universalized. It emphasizes the human as universal, freed from the accidents of time, space, birth, and talent. Thus, for Emerson, the "American Scholar" turns out to be simply "Man Thinking," while, for Whitman, the "Song of Myself" merges imperceptibly into a song of all the "children of Adam," where "every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. "
    Also common to all five writers is the belief that self-realization depends on the harmonious reconciliation of two universal psychological tendencies: first, the self-asserting impulse of the individual to be responsible only to himself or herself, and second, the self-transcending impulse of the individual to know and become one with that world. These conflicting impulses can be seen in the democratic ethic. Democracy advocates individualism, the preservation of the individual’s freedom and self-expression. But the democratic self is torn between the duty to self, which is implied by the concept of liberty, and the duty to society, which is implied by the concepts of equality and fraternity.
    A third assumption common to the five writers is that intuition and imagination offer a surer road to truth than does abstract logic or scientific method. It is illustrated by their emphasis upon introspection— their belief that the clue to external nature is to be found in the inner world of individual psychology—and by their interpretation of experience as, in essence, symbolic. Both these stresses presume an organic relationship between the self and the cosmos of which only intuition and imagination can properly take account. These writers’ faith in the imagination and in themselves led them to conceive of the writer as a seer.  
The passage is most relevant to which of the following areas of study?

选项 A、Aesthetics and logic
B、History and literature
C、Theology and sociology
D、Anthropology and political science
E、Linguistics and art

答案B

解析 The passage discusses five historically important literary figures; it follows that this passage is most relevant to history and literature.
A    Because the passage discusses only thematic characteristics of these five writers, it has little to do with aesthetics, that is, the study of beauty. Furthermore, it does not discuss any general features of reasoning and argumentation, so it has little to do with the study of logic.
B    Correct. Because the passage focuses on five historically important literary figures, it is most relevant to the study of history and literature.
C    The passage does not focus on the study of religion or on the structure and functioning of human society. Therefore, the passage has little to do with to either theology or sociology.
D    The passage does not focus on either hu nan society and culture or on political activity and behavior. Therefore, it has little to do with either anthropology or political science.
E    The passage does not engage in a study of language or the structure of language, so it has little to do with linguistics. Furthermore, it is relevant to only one particular type of art, literature, and so is of only limited relevance to the study of art in general.
The correct answer is B.
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