The primary purpose of the passage is to

AllisonJ on October 2, 2021

Can this be explained please

jingjingxiao11111@gmail.com on December 24, 2021

HI I am not an instructor but I will try to help. I think that the first sentence in the passage states the primary purpose really well. “As the twentieth century draws to a close, we are . learning to see the extent to which accounts and . definitions of cultures are influenced by human biases . and purposes, benevolent in what they include, (5) incorporate, and validate, less so in what they exclude . and demote. “

What does this sentence mean? The present day’s (twentieth century) definition and interpretation of culture are influenced by human biases and purposes, and these human biases and purposes are present day concerns. They have a purpose that only include items that serve their purpose (benevolent in what they include incorporate and validate), and exclude those that don’t serve their purpose (less so in what they exclude and demote).

What is this bias that serve to purposely include certain items and exclude others to serve their definition of culture? Imperialism. The passage argues that despite the fact that imperialism has lost influence over time in many colonies, there is still a prevailing attitude in these colonies to revive imperial control. These colonies revive imperial influence through their tradition and culture. That is, they include certain items that serve their purpose of reviving imperial culture, and exclude those that don’t serve their purpose of reviving imperial culture.

The entire passage then goes on to talk about specific examples, such as the use of “tradition”, Algeria, etc. The final paragraph reiterates the purpose again. “There is in all . nationally defined cultures an aspiration to (55) sovereignty and dominance that expresses itself in . definitions of cultural identity. This means that all nationally defined cultures serve become more sovereignty related even if that sovereign has already been lost. “ Though for the most part colonized societies . have won their independence, in many cultures the . imperial attitudes of uniqueness and superiority . underlying colonial conquest remain.”

This quotation means that even if sovereignty has been lost in colonies, there still exist a prevailing attitude of imperial uniqueness and superiority. This prevailing attitude of imperial uniqueness and superiority is what motivates colonies to redefine their tradition to become more imperial, despite the fact that imperial control has already gradually faded away in these colonies over time.

I hope that it is helpful. Please feel free to correct me. Thank you.

Ravi on February 13, 2022

Looking at the passage as a whole, the primary purpose of it is to provide examples of the diverse influences on contemporary cultures' depictions of their own pasts.

In looking at the answer choices, D matches this well, as it makes the connection between present concerns to the past history of colonialism, so this is a great answer choice. Thus, D is correct. Anticipating the primary purpose before going to the questions is always something you should strive to do, as it will help immensely with this type of question.

jingjingxiao11111@gmail.com on June 8, 2022

Thank you!