Question

colonialism in the united states by henry cabot lodge in the years which followed the close of the war, it seemed as if colonialism had been utterly extinguished: but, unfortunately, this was not the case. the multiplication of great fortunes, the growth of a class rich by inheritance, and the improvement in furnishing, travel and communication, all tended to carry large numbers of americans to europe. the luxurious fancies which were born of increased wealth, and the intellectual tastes which were developed by the advance of the higher education, and to which an old civilization offers peculiar advantages and attractions, combined to breed in many persons a love of foreign life and foreign manners. these tendencies and opportunities revived the dying spirit of colonialism. we see it most strongly in the leisure class, which is gradually increasing in this country. during the miserable ascendancy of the second empire, a band of these persons formed what was known as the “american colony,” in paris. perhaps they still exist, if so, their existence is now less flagrant and more decent. when they were notorious they presented the melancholy spectacle of americans admiring and aping the manners, habits, and vices of another nation, when that nation was bent and corrupted by the cheap, meretricious, and rotten system of the third napoleon. they furnished a very offensive example of peculiarly mean colonialism. this particular phase has departed, but the same sort of americans are, unfortunately, still common in europe. i do not mean, of course, those persons who go abroad to buy social consideration, nor the women who trade on their beauty or their wits to gain a brief and dishonoring notoriety. these are merely adventurers and adventuresses, who are common to all nations. the people referred to here form that large class, comprising many excellent men and women, who, without any real love for europe, maintain near the intimacy of select the correct answer. what is the central idea of the passage? a. americans should show proper respect to all cultures, not just european cultures. b. americans should stop their indulgence in foreign goods and luxuries. c. americans should stop mimicking other cultures and be proud of their own culture d. americans need to adopt the polite and respectful mannerisms of other cultures. e. americans should imitate other cultures to learn more about their own.

Explanation:

The passage discusses how after the war, colonial - like tendencies persisted among Americans, especially in the leisure class, who mimicked foreign cultures. It implies that Americans should be proud of their own culture instead of aping others.

Answer:

C. Americans should stop mimicking other cultures and be proud of their own culture