45. Which of the following best expresses the central meaning of the underlined sentence in the last paragraph? (A) Myths sometimes survived in a society’s oral tradition because of their artistic qualities even after they were no longer deemed religiously beneficial. (B) A society’s rites were more likely to be retained in the written tradition if its myths were admired for artistic qualities rather than religious benefits. (C) The artistic quality of a myth was seldom an essential reason for a society to abandon it from the oral tradition regardless of its religious functions. (D) Some early societies have high regard for certain rites in their religious practices and make the effort to preserve them even when they ceased to be seen as useful. (E) Myths seldom survived in a society’s tradition as part of the oral culture even when the rituals were still in practice.