Question:

Read the passage and answer the question that follows:
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Multiculturalism, as a social philosophy, asserts that a society can accommodate multiple ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups without requiring any one group to abandon its distinct identity in favour of a homogenous national culture. Proponents argue that diversity enriches public life, fosters innovation through the cross-pollination of ideas, and strengthens democratic institutions by demanding that citizens negotiate difference rather than suppress it. Critics, however, contend that unchecked multiculturalism can fragment a nation into insular communities that share little beyond geography, weakening the shared civic bonds that make collective governance possible. The debate sharpened in Western Europe during the early 2000s, when several governments that had long championed multicultural policies began to reassess them. One European leader famously declared that the multicultural approach had utterly failed, pointing to segregated neighbourhoods and stalled integration as evidence. Yet defenders of multiculturalism counter that the failure lies not in diversity itself but in inadequate investment in language training, employment access, and civic education for immigrant communities. They argue that assimilation, which demands minorities dissolve into a dominant culture, is neither realistic nor desirable in an interconnected world, and that a more workable goal is integration, where communities retain distinct identities while sharing common civic obligations and opportunities. Ultimately, the controversy is less about whether diversity exists, since it plainly does in most modern states, than about how societies should manage it, and whose responsibility that management is.

Based on the passage, which of the following can be inferred about the author's view of assimilation?

Show Hint

Find the one sentence in the passage that uses the exact word "assimilation" and read its two paired judgments carefully before matching to an option.
Updated On: Jul 8, 2026
  • The author considers assimilation an ideal solution for managing diversity.
  • The author regards assimilation as impractical and undesirable given how interconnected the world has become.
  • The author believes assimilation and integration mean exactly the same thing.
  • The author does not mention assimilation anywhere in the passage.
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

The passage explicitly states that assimilation, which demands minorities dissolve into a dominant culture, is neither realistic nor desirable in an interconnected world. The passage also distinguishes assimilation from integration, ruling out the option that equates them. Correct option: 2.
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