Question 2.

We can zero-in on the answer based on the following excerpt: {...The completion of the first U.S. transcontinental highway during the 1920s . . . for example, inaugurated a new genre of travel literature about the United States—the automotive or road narrative. Such narratives highlight the experiences of mostly male protagonists “discovering themselves” on their journeys, emphasizing the independence of road travel and the value of rural folk traditions...}

Option A: talks about participation in local traditions which is not mentioned or implied.

Option B: is a distorted comment that does not align with the idea discussed. The author states that road journeys enabled the male protagonist's experience of "discovering themselves"; the phrase "desire for independence" would be incorrect in this regard.

Option C: is not even remotely discussed/implied.

Option D: It is mentioned that the inauguration of a transcontinental highway during the 1920s paved the way for a new genre that emphasised the freedom attached to such road travelling enterprises. Hence, it implicitly depicted travel as an experience celebrating an individual's independence {...emphasizing the independence...}. 

Hence, of the given options, Option D aptly captures the characteristics of American travel literature of the 1920s.