单选题 Paralleling the growth of interest among professional historians during the early 1960s, I had a simultaneous ______ of popular interest in the Afro-American past that was directly stimulated by the drama of the protest movement.
A. respite B. fray C. obsolescence D. groundswell

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] D选项：groundswell意为“迅速高涨，海涌”，如：There was a groundswell of opinion that he should resign．(要求他辞职的呼声越来越高。)句意：与二十世纪六十年代早期专业历史学家增长的兴趣相似，我对美国黑人的过去愈加关注，这直接是受抗议运动的影响。故选D。
其他三项：respite暂时的缓解或轻松；fray磨损；obsolescence废弃。