Directions (91-95): Read the following passage and answer the
given questions.

One key development in the evolving discussion surrounding
popular culture which occurred during the early twentieth century
was the association of popular culture with the United States of
America. Through Hollywood and associated modes of popular
entertainment, USA was beginning to exercise international
cultural influence. The term ‘Mass culture’ is particularly
relevant in this context as it refers to both the effects of American
culture as well as to a specific theoretical debate that emerged in
America during the post-war period.

Dominic Strinati contends in his An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture

(1995) that ‘mass culture refers to popular culture which is produced by the
industrial techniques of mass production, and marketed for profit
to a mass public of consumers’. Such a view of popular culture
argues that the industrial revolution produces a series of atomised
individuals who had not only lost touch with the communities of
shared interest to which they once belonged but that they had also
been subjected to the process of mechanisation and alienation.

This rendered them ripe for systematic cultural manipulation
through uniform, mass produced formulaic products designed to
evoke frivolous, escapist and superficial pleasures.

What is the meaning of ‘Atomised individuals’ in the above
paragraph?

The correct answer is Both mechanised and alienated individual.

To understand why this is the correct interpretation of "atomised individuals", we need to carefully analyse the passage and trace the logical reasoning the author builds around this term.

Step 1: Locate the term in context
The phrase "atomised individuals" appears in the second paragraph, where Dominic Strinati's view of popular culture is discussed. The passage states that mass culture theory argues the industrial revolution produced "a series of atomised individuals who had not only lost touch with the communities of shared interest to which they once belonged but that they had also been subjected to the process of mechanisation and alienation."

Step 2: Break down the sentence structure
The author describes atomised individuals through two distinct but connected qualities:
— First quality: They had lost touch with their communities (a form of social isolation or alienation).
— Second quality: They had been subjected to "mechanisation and alienation" — both words are used explicitly by the author to characterise what happened to these individuals.

Step 3: Understand what "atomised" means here
The word atomised literally means broken down into isolated, separate units — like atoms that are detached from a larger structure. In this sociological context, it describes individuals who were:
— Mechanised — reduced to functioning like cogs in an industrial machine, stripped of individuality.
— Alienated — disconnected from their communities, relationships, and sense of belonging.

Step 4: Why the other options are incorrect
— Mechanised individuals (Option A) — This captures only one half of the meaning. The passage explicitly pairs mechanisation with alienation.
— Organic individuals (Option B) — This is actually the opposite of what the passage describes. Organic implies natural, communal growth — exactly what these individuals had lost.
— Scientific individuals (Option C) — There is no mention of science in connection with this term. This is not supported by the passage at all.

Step 5: Confirm the correct answer
The passage itself provides the definition of atomised individuals directly — they were subjected to "the process of mechanisation and alienation." This makes it clear that the term encompasses both of these qualities simultaneously, not just one. Therefore, "Both mechanised and alienated individual" is the most complete and accurate interpretation, directly grounded in the author's own words.

In summary, the author uses the term atomised individuals to paint a picture of people who were dehumanised by the industrial revolution in two compounding ways — turned into machine-like workers (mechanised) and cut off from meaningful human connection (alienated) — making them vulnerable to mass cultural manipulation.