"The hold of the nationalist imagination on our colonial past is such that…
2017
"The hold of the nationalist imagination on our colonial past is such that anything inadequately or improperly nationalist is just not history."
Which of the following statements best reflects the author's opinion?
- A.
Nationalists are highly imaginative.
- B.
History is viewed through the filter of nationalism.
- C.
Our colonial past never happened.
- D.
Nationalism has to be both adequately and properly imagined.
Attempted by 45 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Correct answer: History is viewed through the filter of nationalism.
Explanation: The author says that the 'hold of the nationalist imagination on our colonial past' is so strong that anything that is not sufficiently nationalist is dismissed as not being history. This means the nationalist viewpoint determines what counts as historical account.
Why this matches: The phrase shows that nationalist interpretation acts as a filter or standard for historical legitimacy, so history is viewed through nationalism.
Why the other statements are wrong:
'Nationalists are highly imaginative.' is a misreading: the passage refers to the influence of a nationalist perspective, not a claim about creativity.
'Our colonial past never happened.' is incorrect: the author does not deny events occurred, only that nationalist standards exclude some accounts from being accepted as history.
'Nationalism has to be both adequately and properly imagined.' is incorrect: the sentence criticizes the effect of a nationalist standard on historical acceptance, not giving guidance on how nationalism should be imagined.
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