Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions based on the passage:
In schools, studying literature often means closely reading a novel, play, or poem without relying much on outside sources. This approach, known as practical criticism, was developed by I.A. Richards (1893-1979) in the 1920s. He believed that focusing on the words themselves and how the writing creates effects would help people judge if a poem was truly 'good' or just had a good reputation. Practical criticism seeks connections among images, themes, and language patterns. Richards and his colleagues saw this method as scientific and thought it led to objective judgments about value. He was part of a group of Cambridge University lecturers who helped shape English Literature as a discipline. Their ideas influenced the New Critics, like John Crowe Ransom (1888-1974) and Cleanth Brooks (1906-94), and their peers in the United States. By examining literature in this way, they created a hierarchy of texts: some were seen as having universal meaning and artistic value, while others were considered too formulaic for serious study. The group of texts seen as most important is often called the literary canon.
What role did Cambridge University play in shaping English Literature as a discipline, according to the passage?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The passage explicitly states how Cambridge University contributed to the field:
It mentions that I.A. Richards 'was part of a group of Cambridge University lecturers who helped shape English Literature as a discipline.'
The passage describes how they developed 'practical criticism,' a method focused on closely reading texts (focusing on 'the words themselves') to make 'objective judgments about value.'
It explains that by using these methods to judge which texts had 'universal meaning and artistic value,' they created a 'hierarchy of texts' commonly known as the literary canon.