Question

read the quotation from lincoln steffens’s the shame of the cities
“my purpose was . . . to see if the shameful facts, spread out in all their shame, would not burn through
civic shamelessness and set fire to american pride.”
according to steffens, what was the purpose of muckraking journalism?
○ to encourage people to buy fewer newspapers
○ to encourage people to become muckraking journalists themselves
○ to encourage people to rise up against their government
○ to encourage people to take action against widespread corruption

Explanation:

Muckraking journalism aimed to expose corruption. The quote says spreading "shameful facts" (corruption - related) would "burn through civic shamelessness and set fire to American pride", meaning to inspire action against corruption. Other options: buying fewer papers is irrelevant; becoming muckrakers isn't the focus; rising against government is extreme (it's about addressing corruption, not overthrowing government).

Answer:

D. to encourage people to take action against widespread corruption