20. Which of the following began in the late nineteenth century as an experimental form and had developed into a medium of mass culture by the 1930s?
Answer: B
Motion pictures began in the late nineteenth century as an experimental form and had developed into a medium of mass culture by the 1930s.
Motion pictures started as a novel and experimental form of entertainment in the late 1800s, evolving rapidly into a dominant cultural medium by the 1930s as they became widely accessible and popular among the masses.
A) Photography
Photography, while it began to gain popularity in the nineteenth century, did not transform into a mass culture medium in the same way as motion pictures. It was primarily an art form and a means of documentation rather than a widespread entertainment medium.
B) Motion pictures
Motion pictures are the correct answer because they began as experimental short films in the late nineteenth century and developed into a major form of entertainment by the 1930s, exemplified by the rise of Hollywood and the popularity of feature films.
C) Modern dance
Modern dance emerged as an expressive art form in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but it did not become a mass culture medium comparable to motion pictures. Its appeal remained largely within specific artistic communities rather than achieving widespread popular acceptance.
D) Theater
Theater has a long history predating the late nineteenth century and was already a well-established form of entertainment. While it evolved over time, it did not experience the same transformation into a mass culture medium during this period as motion pictures did.
E) Rock and roll
Rock and roll originated in the 1950s, well after the late nineteenth century, and therefore cannot be considered as beginning in that era. It emerged as a prominent music genre and mass cultural phenomenon much later.
Conclusion
Motion pictures are definitively the correct answer as they transitioned from experimental works to a major mass culture medium by the 1930s, significantly shaping entertainment during that time. Other options either do not fit the timeline or do not represent the same level of cultural impact as motion pictures.