Why A

@Meredith, (A) is supported by lines 3-9. The author tells us that early folklorists "concentrated on the folklore - and ignored people who transmitted that lore..." The author then describes how the more modern view differs from the early folklorists "[h]owever, since the early 1970s, folklore studies have begun to regard folk performs as people of creativity.." suggesting that prior to that period, they were not seen as someone playing a creative role. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Can you please explain why D can be eliminated?