1. According to the passage, in the village life of southern Italy, the Roman Catholic Church
played a unique role primarily because it
(A) maintained intimate contact with each
member of the community
(B) had the sole responsibility for passing on
the attitudes from one generation to the
next
(C) took on the responsibility of caring for
the weaker members of the community
(D) was the only established institution that
influenced the ideas and behavior of the
community
(E) maintained its influence over all the vil-
lagers, even those who migrated to the
United States