Explanation
Answer: B - The Lost Generation is the World War I generation born between 1883 and 1900; the Greatest Generation is the World War II generation born between 1901 and 1924; the Silent Generation is the generation that was too young to fight in the war but lived through it, born between 1925 and 1945; Generation X was born after the Baby Boomers, between 1961 and 1981; the Millenials were born between 1982 and the early 1990s.
“The Lost Generation” was a term first used in Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises; he later attributed its origin to Gertrude Stein who referred to the World War I soldier generation as “lost.” Hemingway himself belonged to the generation, as did his contemporaries F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter and T.S. Eliot. “The Greatest Generation” was a term coined by journalist Tom Brokaw to describe the heroic sacrifice made by the people who fought in World War II. They are marked by their steadfast sense of virtue and responsibility. John Kennedy, John Glenn, Henry Kissinger, Walter Cronkite, Julia Child and Thurgood Marshall belonged to this generation. “The Silent Generation” is a term coined by TIME magazine to describe the people who were too young to serve in the war, but old enough to have lived through it, who were increasingly seen as less committed to the heroic service that defined the generation ahead of them. The generation is characterized by the conflict between tradition and changing cultural attitudes. They overwhelmingly possess an innovative and artistic spirit. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert and Edward Kennedy, the Beatles and Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Marvin Gaye, George Carlin, Gloria Steinem and the second and third classes of NASA astronauts (Neil Armstrong and Jim Lovell among them) are part of this generation. Many of the attitudes and members of this generation are misattributed to the Baby Boomers. “Generation X” was a term coined by Robert Capa, a photojournalist with the Magnum agency, to describe the attitudes of the post-Baby Boomers, born between 1961 and 1981. They are also called “Gen-Xers” and the “MTV Generation.” They are marked by their coming of age in a time of great upheaval and are often associated with a somewhat reluctant outlook on civic involvement and moderate distrust of authority. Generation X is considered the next coming of the Silent Generation. Jon Stewart, Robert Downey Jr., Michael Jordan, Kurt Cobain, Brad Pitt, Tupac Shakur and Eminem are part of this generation. “Millenials” is a term coined by the Millenial generation itself in opposition to the name first attributed to them: “Generation Y.” (They disliked the association with the angst-ridden Generation X.) Sociologists picked up the term as it increased in prevalence. They are characterized by a renewed commitment to family and community, a generally positive but cautious outlook and a desire to better the world. They are tech-savvy, but most are old enough to remember a time before every home had a personal computer, let alone cell phone or iPod. They are considered the next coming of the Greatest Generation.
