Which statement accurately describes Colonial Period writing in America?

Which statement accurately describes Colonial Period writing in America?

• A. Writing and speaking remained decidedly British
• B. American literature immediately embraced American idioms and independence in tone
• C. It blended heavily with French and Spanish influences
• D. It rejected all British influence entirely

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that Colonial Period writing in America mostly followed British literary models. Writers in the colonies produced sermons, histories, and political pamphlets in English that mirrored the tone, forms, and rhetorical conventions found in Britain. Spelling, syntax, and even the kinds of genres—religious discourses, civic treatises, diary-like narratives—trace their roots to British usage, because the colonies were culturally and institutionally tied to Britain and shared the same printing networks and educational norms. While discussions about local issues did begin to emerge, the shift toward a distinctly American idiom and a tone of independence does not characterize the early colonial period; that more clearly develops later as revolutionary ideas take hold. The other statements would imply an immediate American idiom, heavy French/Spanish influence, or a total rejection of Britain, none of which accurately describe the era.

The main idea here is that Colonial Period writing in America mostly followed British literary models. Writers in the colonies produced sermons, histories, and political pamphlets in English that mirrored the tone, forms, and rhetorical conventions found in Britain. Spelling, syntax, and even the kinds of genres—religious discourses, civic treatises, diary-like narratives—trace their roots to British usage, because the colonies were culturally and institutionally tied to Britain and shared the same printing networks and educational norms. While discussions about local issues did begin to emerge, the shift toward a distinctly American idiom and a tone of independence does not characterize the early colonial period; that more clearly develops later as revolutionary ideas take hold. The other statements would imply an immediate American idiom, heavy French/Spanish influence, or a total rejection of Britain, none of which accurately describe the era.