Question

Which of the following statements are correct? A. Saussure distinguished signifier and signified. B. The link between signifier and signified is arbitrary. C. Levi-Strauss denied patterns in myth. D. Roland Barthes coined “New Historicism”. E. Simone de Beauvoir described four kinds of masculinity.

• A. B, C and D Only
• B. A and B Only
• C. A, B and E Only
• D. B, D and E Only

Hint:

Saussure's key ideas include signifier, signified, and the arbitrary nature of the linguistic sign.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1 : Understanding the Question:
This question asks us to evaluate five statements (A through E) concerning key figures in structuralism, poststructuralism, and feminist theory to identify the correct subset.

Step 2 : Key Formulas and Approach:
The analytical approach involves assessing each statement based on foundational concepts in semiotics and cultural theory. We verify Saussure's sign model, Lévi-Strauss's structural study of myth, and the origins of New Historicism and feminist masculinity.

Step 3 : Detailed Explanation:

• Ferdinand de Saussure, in his foundational Course in General Linguistics, modeled the linguistic sign as a two-part structure comprising the "signifier" (the sound-image) and the "signified" (the mental concept). This makes Statement A correct.

• Saussure also established that the relationship between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary, meaning there is no natural or inherent connection between a word and the concept it represents. This makes Statement B correct.

• Statement C is incorrect because Claude Lévi-Strauss did not deny patterns in myth; instead, he pioneered the structural analysis of myth, arguing that myths across cultures share universal structural units called "mythemes".

• Statement D is incorrect because the term "New Historicism" was coined and popularized by the Renaissance scholar Stephen Greenblatt, not by Roland Barthes.

• Statement E is incorrect as Simone de Beauvoir's landmark book The Second Sex focuses on the social construction of womanhood ("One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman") rather than classifying four distinct models of masculinity.

Step 4 : Final Answer:
Evaluating these statements shows that only A and B are correct, which corresponds to option (B).
The correct option is (B) A and B Only.