closet dramas

Question

Unlike the Shakespearean plays, the closet dramas of the nineteenth  century were meant to be ---- rather than ----.   A. seen - acted   B. read - acted   C. produced - acted   D. quiet - loud   E. sophisticated - urbaneThe answer is B. I still don't get what information implied in the sentence would suggest the answer. Thank you in advance.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

I agree. You really need to know what a closet drama is. The only clue in the senetnce itself is the word 'closet', which suggests a small and private place.

Google gives this:

A closet drama is a piece of literature written in a dramatic form that is not intended to be performed by actors. It is therefore intended just to be read, like other types of literature. While all plays can be read as literature without being performed, closet dramas were never intended for the stage at all. These plays do not require a performing space, and are called closet dramas because they can be read in a "closet" (a small, domestic area also known as a cupboard), either to oneself or aloud to a group.

Best wishes, Clive

Jeff_999 · Answer

Thank you, Clive. Very helpful. <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Goldmund · Answer

Dear friends,

It is my opinion that we may answer the question by the information it provides.

Let us exchange «rather than» for «not». We may then exclude «seen» and «produced». Otherwise we contradict ourselves. We may also exclude «sophisticated», since it is not a sufficient distinction from «urbane». We know further that a Shakespearian play is both «quiet» and «loud».

We may therefore choose «read» and «acted».

Kind regards,

Goldmund

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