'The methodology of practical criticism seeks coherence in images, themes and patterns of language.' What is the implication of this statement?
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Correct answer: C. Practical criticism evaluates texts by a purely literary mode of inquiry, without context
Explanation
Looking for internal coherence means judging the text on its own terms, apart from context.
Note: Passage II, a modern prose passage on practical criticism, is copyrighted and not reproduced. It explains that close reading, still common in schools, comes from I. A. Richards's 1920s experiments. His method judged a poem by its words and technique, apart from author and context, and looked for coherence of image, theme and language, aiming to be objective and 'scientific'. It shaped the American New Critics (Ransom, Brooks) and implied a hierarchy of texts of 'universal' value, the canon.
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