SSC MTS 2026 PYQ — Question 86

SSC MTS - 18 Feb 2026 - Shift 2 • English • Q86

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions based on the passage:

Antonin Artaud was associated with Surrealism and avant-garde theatre. His eventual departure from Surrealism made him develop the Theatre of Cruelty and publish its theories in the work called Theatre and Its Double. He removed the barrier between the performers and the audience. He made use of oversized props, lightning effects, groans, screams and verbal incantations to strike the audience's emotions and senses with an array of technical effects in order to make them face the unreal, ugly and grotesque pain. The whole idea of the theatre of cruelty was to leave a lasting impact on the psychology of the audience.

What led Antonin Artaud to develop the Theatre of Cruelty?

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D

Explanation

Analysis of the Text:

Direct Evidence: The passage explicitly states, "His eventual departure from Surrealism made him develop the Theatre of Cruelty..."

Methodology: It describes his style as using "oversized props, lightning effects, groans, screams and verbal incantations to strike the audience's emotions and senses," which directly supports the "sensory-driven" part of option D.