Read the text and answer the question only on the basis of the information it contains explicitly or implicitly and not on what you already know about the topic.
"[…] The enduring European pre-eminence of Italian literature has coincided with its ability to act as a crossroads of cultures. We forget this too often, just as we forget the fact that the very first book printed in Arabic type was produced not in Syria or Egypt, but in Rome in 1514. […] It is the cities that have been the pivot around which the history of our country has turned, and not only its literary history. If books are readily written in villas, it is in the bustle of urban centres that people meet and ideas spread."
Translated from Luzzatto, Pedullà, Atlante della letteratura italiana, Introduzione, Einaudi, Torino, 2010-2012
The polycentric character of Italian culture is primarily due to:
A) Both the flourishing of cities and the tranquillity of villas outside the city
B) The flourishing of cities, where people meet and books are written
C) The flourishing of cities, where people meet and ideas spread
D) The possibility of writing in peace in order to sustain literary life in the cities
E) The spread of ideas between town and countryside
IMAT 2026 · Question 3
Q3 - Reading skills
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The correct answer is C) The flourishing of cities, where people meet and ideas spread.
The core idea is that Italian culture developed around multiple cities that served as centres of cultural exchange. This explains its “polycentric” character: it had several centres of cultural activity. The passage identifies cities as the driving force of Italian history because they bring people together and allow ideas to circulate. Although books may be written in quiet villas, the text emphasises urban encounters as the basis of cultural life.
A) Incorrect: It gives equal importance to cities and the tranquillity of villas. The passage mentions villas as places where books can be written, but identifies cities as the central force in cultural development.
B) Incorrect: It correctly mentions people meeting in cities, but replaces the crucial idea of ideas spreading with books being written. The passage associates book writing with villas and stresses cities’ role in cultural exchange.
C) Correct: It directly reflects the final sentence: “it is in the bustle of urban centres that people meet and ideas spread.” These encounters and exchanges explain the importance of multiple urban centres.
D) Incorrect: The passage does not say that peaceful writing sustains literary life in cities. This alternative introduces a relationship that the text does not establish.
E) Incorrect: The passage does not describe ideas spreading between towns and the countryside. Its emphasis is on cities themselves as places where people meet and ideas circulate.
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