Question

removed from slavery can escape certain unpleasant rawness and gaucherie, despite the best of training. how does the passage’s historical context influence the author’s tone and purpose? it explains why du bois adopts a defensive tone to justify the
○ intellectual capacity and social value of educated black citizens in a period of doubt and racial prejudice. it causes du bois to minimize racial
○ issues and focus solely on academic standards.
○ it leads him to reject all statistical evidence as unreliable.
○ it prompts him to write with nostalgia rather than social urgency.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

1. The first option: Du Bois' work was in a time of racial prejudice (post - slavery, with doubt about Black citizens' intellectual and social value). A defensive tone to justify their worth fits the historical context (racism, need to assert Black citizens' value).
2. Second option: Minimizing racial issues goes against Du Bois' focus on racial equality and the reality of racial prejudice in his time, so this is incorrect.
3. Third option: Du Bois used data/evidence to support his claims about Black advancement, so rejecting statistical evidence is wrong.
4. Fourth option: Du Bois wrote with social urgency (addressing racial inequality, education for Black people) not nostalgia, so this is incorrect.

Answer:

A. It explains why Du Bois adopts a defensive tone to justify the intellectual capacity and social value of educated Black citizens in a period of doubt and racial prejudice.