25th Question

Cultural Imperialism

A high level of appreciation for one’s own culture can be healthy; a shared sense of community pride, for example, connects people in a society. But ethnocentrism can lead to disdain or dislike for other cultures, causing misunderstanding and conflict. People with the best intentions sometimes travel to a society to “help” its people, seeing them as uneducated or backward; essentially inferior. In reality, these travelers are guilty of cultural imperialism, the deliberate imposition of one’s own cultural values on another culture. Europe’s colonial expansion, begun in the 16th century, was often accompanied by a severe cultural imperialism. European colonizers often viewed the people in the lands they colonized as uncultured savages who were in need of European governance, dress, religion, and other cultural practices. A more modern example of cultural imperialism may include the work of international aid agencies who introduce agricultural methods and plant species from developed countries while overlooking indigenous varieties and agricultural approaches that are better suited to the particular region.

Q. The words these travelers refer to …

a. Its people
b. Them
c. Cultural values
d. People with the best intentions

D is correct because it is another way to refer back to “People with the best intentions” that “travel to a society….”. The entire subject is “people with the best intentions”, and we read a few words later that they “travel”, thus we know they are travelers. Option a and b cannot be correct because it does not say anything about “its people” or “them” traveling. Finally, option c is wrong because “cultural values” cannot be referred to as travelers.

Reference Questions