Comprehension: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that…
2025
Comprehension:
Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Globalisation affects local cultural traditions in various ways in different societies. The case of Jalawastu in West Java, Indonesia, exemplifies the harmonious interaction between Islam and indigenous customs, demonstrating the delicate balance between the two. Globalisation can have a positive influence on local cultural customs by encouraging the conservation and modification of traditional principles amidst world influences. Behind the positive influence of globalisation, globalisation has adversely affected local cultural traditions through its challenges to the preservation of traditional values and customs. Globalisation has indeed brought about a significant transformation in local cultural traditions. The involvement of the younger generation is very important in maintaining local cultural traditions amid the phenomenon of globalisation. The historical development of globalisation can be traced back to ancient times, where traders engaged in transnational trade, advancing through various stages from the colonial period to the digital age. Initially, globalisation was primarily driven by long-distance trade, but gained momentum during the industrial revolution with advances in transportation and communication. Globalisation has accelerated the spread of global culture through mass media, communication technologies, and human mobility. This has led to cultures from different parts of the world becoming more accessible and adopted by local people. Globalisation brings a number of positive impacts to local cultures, including wider access to global information and knowledge, opportunities for enriching cultural exchange, and new economic opportunities through cultural tourism. Despite the positive impacts, globalisation also has a significant negative impact on local culture. The loss of local languages and traditions, the commercialisation of culture, and the domination of foreign cultures are some of them. Despite challenges from globalisation, many local communities show strong resilience and adaptation. They seek to preserve and revive their traditions and values through cultural education, cultural festivals, and legal protection of cultural heritage.
Select an appropriate title for the passage.
- A.
The emergence of Digital Globalisation
- B.
The Rise of International Trade in Historical Context
- C.
The End of Local Traditions in a Globalised World
- D.
Globalisation: A Double-Edged Sword for Local Cultural Traditions
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
The best title for a passage is the phrase that captures the passage's overall organising idea across its full length, not a single supporting detail drawn from one paragraph. When a passage develops more than one line of argument, the title must span every major line the passage returns to; a title that captures only one strand, or overstates a single outcome, is too narrow or too extreme to serve as the title.
This passage opens by stating that globalisation affects local cultural traditions "in various ways," gives the Jalawastu, Indonesia example of a positive, harmonious interaction between an incoming influence and indigenous custom, and then states directly that globalisation "has adversely affected local cultural traditions." It goes on to list positive impacts (wider access to information, cultural exchange, tourism-linked economic opportunity) side by side with negative impacts (loss of local languages and traditions, commercialisation of culture, domination by foreign cultures), before closing on communities that preserve and revive their traditions through cultural education, festivals, and legal protection. Every paragraph of the passage develops one of these two effects, so the title needs to name both the benefit and the harm globalisation brings to local culture.
Checking each paragraph against this reading confirms none is left out: the opening and historical-development paragraphs set up globalisation itself, the middle paragraphs supply the positive and negative impacts respectively, and the closing paragraph shows communities responding to both forces. A title naming only one era, one origin, or one endpoint would leave several of these paragraphs without a place under it, while a title naming globalisation's dual, benefit-and-harm effect on local culture covers the passage from its opening claim to its closing example. This confirms Globalisation: A Double-Edged Sword for Local Cultural Traditions as the fitting title.
"The emergence of Digital Globalisation" — the passage's mass-media and communication-technology reference sits inside one sentence about globalisation's historical stages, alongside trade and the industrial revolution, and does not extend to the passage's discussion of cultural impact or community resilience.
"The Rise of International Trade in Historical Context" — long-distance trade appears in the same historical-development sentence, one supporting detail rather than the passage's central concern with globalisation's cultural effects.
"The End of Local Traditions in a Globalised World" — the passage's final paragraph describes communities preserving and reviving traditions through cultural education, festivals, and legal protection, which an "ending" framing does not capture.
"Globalisation: A Double-Edged Sword for Local Cultural Traditions" — spans the positive-impact paragraph, the negative-impact paragraph, and the resilience paragraph, matching the passage's full arc.