The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

**Passage:**
The weight of society's expectations is hardly a new phenomenon but it has become particularly draining over recent decades, perhaps because expectations themselves are so multifarious and contradictory. The perfectionism of the 1950s was rooted in the norms of mass culture and captured in famous advertising images of the ideal white American family that now seem self-satirising. In that era, perfectionism meant seamlessly conforming to values, behaviour and appearance: chiselled confidence for men, demure graciousness for women. The perfectionists of today, by contrast, feel an obligation to stand out through their idiosyncratic style and wit if they are to gain a foothold in the attention economy.

Question

The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

**Passage:**  
The weight of society's expectations is hardly a new phenomenon but it has become particularly draining over recent decades, perhaps because expectations themselves are so multifarious and contradictory. The perfectionism of the 1950s was rooted in the norms of mass culture and captured in famous advertising images of the ideal white American family that now seem self-satirising. In that era, perfectionism meant seamlessly conforming to values, behaviour and appearance: chiselled confidence for men, demure graciousness for women. The perfectionists of today, by contrast, feel an obligation to stand out through their idiosyncratic style and wit if they are to gain a foothold in the attention economy.

Accepted Answer

The passage contrasts perfectionism across eras: in the 1950s, it was about conforming seamlessly to societal norms, whereas modern perfectionism emphasizes standing out through individuality and creativity in the "attention economy." Option A captures this evolution accurately, highlighting the shift from conformism to non-conformism.

Option B incorrectly focuses on tension and conflict without addressing the evolution described in the passage.
Option C misinterprets the focus as being solely on deep-rooted desires for attention rather than societal changes in perfectionist ideals.
Option D attributes perfectionism entirely to media influence, which is not central to the passage's argument.

Answer

Answer

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