Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct word or phrase
that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
BRITPOP
In the early to mid-1990s Britpop artists, influenced by British guitar sounds of the 1960s and 70s, wrote
about topics that were (26) ____ purely British and relevant to their generation. The music style with its (27)____ songs was considered as a reaction against the grunge music that was arriving from the States and, in fact,
it did not have (28) ____ huge commercial success in the USA.
Britpop bands included Suede, Pulp, Blur and Oasis but it was the (29) ____ two that really dominated
the market. In 1994 Blur released their album Parklife (30) ____ had a strong retro feel from the 70s and Oasis
released Definitely Maybe, again with a retro feel reminiscent (31) ____ John Lennon.
The two bands were often seen (32) ____ rivals and this was exaggerated by the media who emphasised
their differences in origins and class: Oasis from the north of England, Blur from the south. This culminated in
both bands (33) ____ singles on the same day in 1985, with Blur's single Country House reaching number one
in the charts and Oasis's Roll With It number two. Oasis, (34) ____, went on to have greater commercial success,
particularly with the album (What's the story) Morning Glory? (1985) which sold 412 million (35) ____ in the
UK.