PrepTest 128, Section 1, Question 20
As the twentieth century draws to a close,(461 more words not shown)
In the context of the(17 more words not shown)
- AApparent traditions may(4 more words not shown)
- BNational identity generally(3 more words not shown)
- CMost colonial cultures(6 more words not shown)
- DHistorical and cultural(5 more words not shown)
- ERevolutionary cultures are(6 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Put the two examples next to each other. European rulers make recent authority look ancient; Algerians create an idealized picture of their precolonial culture. Their political goals differ, but both shape an apparent inheritance from the past. We're being asked for that shared lesson, not every broader claim the author makes.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
Artifice means something constructed or contrived. These examples show that what looks like an established tradition may have been manufactured, reinterpreted, or idealized to serve a present purpose.
- B
Neither example establishes that national identity requires cultural uniformity. Constructing an image of a unified past doesn't prove that genuine uniformity is necessary.
- C
Two examples of constructed traditions don't establish that most colonial cultures are artificial by nature. That expands the claim from particular representations to whole cultures.
- D
Cultural experiences can cross national boundaries, and the author says so later. But these two examples principally illustrate the construction of traditions, not the movement of cultural influences across borders.
- E
The Algerian example isn't presented as more authentic. Its similarities to the European example are emphasized: both construct a useful image of the past.
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