Question

read the passage. publishing doctor zhivago boris pasternaks 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. pasternaks 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 couldnt 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:

The passage first introduces the novel Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, then explains that Soviet publishers refused to release it (because it dealt with post - revolution hardships and was called anti - Soviet). It further details Pasternak's action (smuggling the book out) and the book's subsequent publication and success. The first option encompasses the main events: the publication refusal in the Soviet Union and the smuggling out. The second option only focuses on one aspect (why it was considered anti - Soviet) and doesn't cover the whole story of the book's journey to publication.

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.