V10-01

Question

The cultural legacy of the British Empire in Singapore contrasts sharply with that of other former British colonies. While countries such as India and Malaysia have de-emphasized the time they spent under British rule, going so far as to change most English place names, Singapore has generally embraced its colonial past.
 
     A recent article by McDermott attributes this difference to a number of reasons, each of which distinguishes Singapore from other former colonies. To begin with, Singapore did not have a shared history and culture before the arrival of the British. The area occupied by the modern state was sparsely populated and had been ruled by a series of local empires. A large majority of Singapore’s present-day population consists of the descendants of Chinese and Indian immigrants that arrived during the colonial period. Secondly, the cultural factors that unite Singaporeans today were developed during British rule. Among the most important of these cultural factors is a shared embrace of commerce and industry. During the colonial period, Singapore became a regional center of finance and international trade, and this status has continued to the present day. Economic prosperity is a national priority for nearly all Singaporeans. Finally, Singapore endured comparatively little strife in its transition to independence. In 1963, the country was joined in a union with the newly independent state of Malaysia through an act of Parliament. Malaysia had only recently achieved independence, and only after a long guerrilla war with the British. Two years later, Singapore’s union with Malaysia was dissolved and the country became a fully independent state.

The primary purpose of the passage is

A. to discuss the historical background of the culture of a particular nation.
B. to advocate for a renewed examination of a cultural issue.
C. to examine the political systems of three countries.
D. to point out the benefits of one particular political system.
E. to illustrate a way in which a diverse population has discovered a shared cultural heritage.

souvik101990 · Answer

Official Solution:

The cultural legacy of the British Empire in Singapore contrasts sharply with that of other former British colonies. While countries such as India and Malaysia have de-emphasized the time they spent under British rule, going so far as to change most English place names, Singapore has generally embraced its colonial past.
 
     A recent article by McDermott attributes this difference to a number of reasons, each of which distinguishes Singapore from other former colonies. To begin with, Singapore did not have a shared history and culture before the arrival of the British. The area occupied by the modern state was sparsely populated and had been ruled by a series of local empires. A large majority of Singapore’s present-day population consists of the descendants of Chinese and Indian immigrants that arrived during the colonial period. Secondly, the cultural factors that unite Singaporeans today were developed during British rule. Among the most important of these cultural factors is a shared embrace of commerce and industry. During the colonial period, Singapore became a regional center of finance and international trade, and this status has continued to the present day. Economic prosperity is a national priority for nearly all Singaporeans. Finally, Singapore endured comparatively little strife in its transition to independence. In 1963, the country was joined in a union with the newly independent state of Malaysia through an act of Parliament. Malaysia had only recently achieved independence, and only after a long guerrilla war with the British. Two years later, Singapore’s union with Malaysia was dissolved and the country became a fully independent state.

The primary purpose of the passage is

A. to discuss the historical background of the culture of a particular nation.
B. to advocate for a renewed examination of a cultural issue.
C. to examine the political systems of three countries.
D. to point out the benefits of one particular political system.
E. to illustrate a way in which a diverse population has discovered a shared cultural heritage.

(A) Correct. The purpose of the passage is to discuss why Singapore embraces British culture, while other former colonies do not.
 
(B) The passage does not advocate for a renewed examination; it discusses the differences between Singapore and other former British colonies.
 
(C) The passage says little about political systems.
 
(D) The author does not discuss benefits of a particular political system.
 
(E) The author does mention this when he writes that Singaporeans have a shared embrace of commerce and industry, but it is not the primary purpose of the article.

Answer: A

Zekkwal · Answer

But aren't we told Singapore doesn't have any such cultural background as such?

ZahraB · Answer

This is confusing. Passage clearly says that Singapore did not have a shared history and culture before the arrival of British. So I dont understand why A is the answer and not D?

TanyaBhargava · Answer

I think this is a  high-quality  question and I agree with explanation. not easy, atleast medium

SkyBulb · Answer

I did not quite understand the solution. how is E wrong? We are talking about whole history of how british rule affect singapore in unification despite them being from indian/chinese ethnicities and local kingdoms.

I think A seems wrong since we do not talk about actual culture in paragraph and only how it originated differently than India and Malaysia.

BhardwajS · Answer

SkyBulb  Let me help you with this-
The issue is that E is focusing on  one reason  Singapore is different, while the passage is trying to explain  all the reasons  Singapore is different. 
Think about it this way:
If the author wanted E to be the main point, the passage would mainly discuss how Chinese immigrants, Indian immigrants, and others came together and formed a common identity.
But passage mainly discuss-1)There is no pre-colonial history for Singapore 2)then British came, development of commerce and trade happened 3) peacefully got independence 4)last comparisons with India and Malaysia-IMO all these point are closer to show  why Singapore embrace the British colonialism while other former British colonies generally do not?  much closer to option A and When we hear "culture," we mostly think of food, language, traditions, etc. But in this passage , Singapore's attitude toward its colonial past and its shared values (commerce, industry, economic prosperity) are being treated as cultural characteristics.
Hope this helps!:)

V10-01

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