Question

read the passage.
publishing doctor zhivago
boris pasternak’s 1956 novel doctor zhivago tells the story of a russian doctor living at the time of the 1917 russian revolution, which led to the establishment of the soviet union. because the book dealt with hardships people faced after the revolution, publishers in the soviet union refused to release it, calling it anti - soviet. pasternak’s solution was to have the book smuggled out of the soviet union and published in europe. though soviet authorities tried to prevent it, the book was published in italy in 1957 and was immediately well received. in 1958, it was translated into english and went on to become one of the most popular novels of the 1950s.
what is the main, or central, idea of the passage?
boris pasternak couldn’t get his book doctor zhivago published in the soviet union, so he had the book smuggled out of the country.
doctor zhivago showed the problems that russians faced following the russian revolution, so it was considered anti - soviet.

Explanation:

To determine the main idea, we analyze the passage:

1. The passage is about Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago. It explains that Soviet publishers refused to release it (calling it anti - Soviet) because it dealt with post - revolution hardships. Then it tells how Pasternak had the book smuggled out and published in Europe, and its subsequent success.

1. Now let's analyze the options:

• Option 1: "Boris Pasternak couldn't get his book Doctor Zhivago published in the Soviet Union, so he had the book smuggled out of the country." This option captures the key events of the book's publication - the refusal in the Soviet Union and the smuggling out for publication elsewhere. It also sets the context of the book's publication journey.
• Option 2: "Doctor Zhivago showed the problems that Russians faced following the Russian Revolution, so it was considered anti - Soviet." This option only focuses on why the book was considered anti - Soviet and not on the main event of the book's publication process (smuggling out and being published in Europe and its success), so it is not the main idea.

The passage focuses on the publication journey of Doctor Zhivago, including Soviet refusal, smuggling out, and subsequent success. The first option captures the core of this journey, while the second only addresses a part of the reason for Soviet refusal, not the main publication - related events.

Answer:

Boris Pasternak couldn't get his book Doctor Zhivago published in the Soviet Union, so he had the book smuggled out of the country.