What does the word "personal" means in this context?

Question

Here's an excerpt from "Poetry and Power" by JFK (from IES history reading book): When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment. The artist, however faithful to his ***personal*** vision of reality, becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society and an officious state. The great artist is thus a solitary figure. He has, as Frost said, “a lover’s quarrel with the world.” In pursuing his perceptions of reality he must often sail against the currents of his time. This is not a popular role. If Robert Frost was much honored during his lifetime, it was because a good many preferred to ignore his darker truths. Yet in retrospect, we see how the artist’s fidelity has strengthened the fiber of our national life. As used in this paragraph, "personal" in this paragraph most nearly means A) domestic B) touchy C) peculiar D) individualized The answer from the book is D, while I chose C since "peculiar" means "unique", which i believe is relevant to the context. Can anyone explain this? the book also states that C is wrongly negative, but I think it's kinda neutral. What the difference between C and D and why is the latter correct?

Answer 1

"Peculiar" does not mean "unique." It means "slightly eccentric" or "strange" or "standing out in an unusual way."

He had a peculiar habit of waking up at 4 a.m. to do his homework. He dressed in a peculiar way: none of his clothes matched.

A large part of getting the comprehension questions right depends on building vocabulary and understanding words and their usage.

The meaning of "individualized" is closer to the meaning of "personal."