Question at position 21 “The Australian nation is another case of a great civilization supplanting a lower race unable to make full use of the land and its resources. The struggle means suffering, intense suffering, while it is in progress; but that struggle and that suffering have been the stages by which the White man has reached his present stage of development, and they account for the fact that he no longer lives in caves and feeds on roots and nuts. This dependence of progress on the survival of the fitter race, terribly harsh as it may seem to some of you, gives the struggle for existence its redeeming features; it is the fiery crucible out of which comes the finer metal.” Karl Pearson, British mathematics professor, National Life from the Standpoint of Science, 1900 In the late 1800s, attitudes such as the one expressed in the passage had contributed most directly to which of the following? 4WHF17Efforts by European missionaries to convert non-Europeans to Christianity for their spiritual salvationEuropean states’ competition to acquire overseas coloniesThe abolitionist movement to end slaveryThe creation of industrialized economies in Europe单项选择题
A
Efforts by European missionaries to convert non-Europeans to Christianity for their spiritual salvation
B
European states’ competition to acquire overseas colonies
C
The abolitionist movement to end slavery
D
The creation of industrialized economies in Europe

Question

Question at position 21 “The Australian nation is another case of a great civilization supplanting a lower race unable to make full use of the land and its resources. The struggle means suffering, intense suffering, while it is in progress; but that struggle and that suffering have been the stages by which the White man has reached his present stage of development, and they account for the fact that he no longer lives in caves and feeds on roots and nuts. This dependence of progress on the survival of the fitter race, terribly harsh as it may seem to some of you, gives the struggle for existence its redeeming features; it is the fiery crucible out of which comes the finer metal.” Karl Pearson, British mathematics professor, National Life from the Standpoint of Science, 1900 In the late 1800s, attitudes such as the one expressed in the passage had contributed most directly to which of the following? 4WHF17Efforts by European missionaries to convert non-Europeans to Christianity for their spiritual salvationEuropean states’ competition to acquire overseas coloniesThe abolitionist movement to end slaveryThe creation of industrialized economies in Europe单项选择题

A

Efforts by European missionaries to convert non-Europeans to Christianity for their spiritual salvation

B

European states’ competition to acquire overseas colonies

C

The abolitionist movement to end slavery

D

The creation of industrialized economies in Europe

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The passage presents a late 19th-century justification for racial hierarchy and the idea that progress comes through the struggle and survival of the fittest, applied to the spread of European power. Now, let's examine each option in turn.

Option 1: Efforts by European missionaries to convert non-Europeans to Christianity for their spiritual salvation. This choice focuses on religious conversion and spiritual aims rather than on imperial competition or the acquisition of territory. The passage emphasizes civilizational progress and the superiority of the White race, which aligns less with missionary activity as its primary outcome and more with political and territorial expansion; thus this option seems misaligned with the main consequence described.

Option 2: European states’ competition to acquire overseas colonies. This directly relates to the idea of national advancement through domination of lands and resources beyond Europe, driven by beliefs in racial hierarchy and progress through struggle. The passage frames progress as something achieved through conquest and control of territories, which matches imperial competition for colonies.

Option 3: The abolitionist movement to end slavery. The abolitionist movement is about ending slavery and promoting equal rights, which contrasts with the excerpt’s depiction of racial superiority and the justification of conquest. Therefore this option contradicts the stated viewpoint and is unlikely to be the direct outcome described.

Option 4: The creation of industrialized economies in Europe. While industrialization is a feature of the era, the passage centers on racial ideology and the justification for expansion, not on the internal development of European industry per se. Although imperial expansion supported economic gains, the wording specifically highlights conquest and the civilizational claim, making this a secondary or indirect consequence rather than the most direct one.

In summary, the passage promotes a worldview that rationalizes competition among European powers for overseas possessions, using the language of survival of the fittest to describe imperial expansion. The option that best captures this direct consequence is Option 2, European states’ competition to acquire overseas colonies.