Use the following passage to answer the question.

The writers of the American South popularized a very specific kind of literature. Their unique style was called Southern Gothic. It uses elements of the supernatural and bizarre. It is not uncommon for these works to have ghosts, other eerie beings, or even graphic deaths. Flannery O'Connor is one popular writer of the Southern Gothic tradition.
This excerpt, if taken from a newspaper article, would not be considered timely or topical unless _____.

there was a convention on Southern Gothic literature coming up
it was written purely to inform the audience
it had been written by an editor to persuade the audience
all of the above