Final answer:
The Great Vowel Shift moved the pronunciation of long vowel sounds 'closer to' their modern pronunciation, making them sound more like they do in current English.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Great Vowel Shift was a major change in the pronunciation of the English language that took place primarily between the 15th and 18th centuries. The correct answer to the student's question This Great Vowel Shift brought the long vowel sounds ____ their modern pronunciation is A) Closer to. This linguistic event saw the modification of vowel pronunciation, which moved the vowel sounds up and toward the front of the mouth, making them sound closer to how they are pronounced in Modern English.
The Great Vowel Shift brought the long vowel sounds closer to their modern pronunciation. During this linguistic change, the pronunciation of long vowels in English shifted towards a higher and more fronted position in the mouth. For example, the word 'name' used to be pronounced as 'nah-meh' but shifted to its modern pronunciation of 'naym'. This shift had a significant impact on the pronunciation of many words in the English language.