Culture crossing and mixing in Mauritius
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- Culture crossing and mixing in Mauritius
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Culture crossing and mixing in Mauritius
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[post_date] => 2025-01-03 13:17:13
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[post_content] => Practice Passage (Question 1-6)
*This passage is the property of Khan Academy and has been reformatted into an AAMC-style interface in their entirety by MedLife Mastery. MedLife Mastery does not endorse and is not an affiliate of Khan Academy.
Culture is quite an issue in Mauritius, a small island nation off the east coast of Africa, because of the number of culture crossings and mixings. The French brought slaves from different parts of Africa and Madagascar, but also from the French colony next door, La Reunion, known at that time as Ile Bourbon, so that they could not communicate. This was a strategy of the masters to preclude any revolts. The slaves did find a way to communicate among themselves by mixing their ancestral language with that of their masters’ language. Perhaps they also used body language. Nevertheless, the mixing of languages gave birth to a pidgin, which has continued to evolve and enrich itself with the crossings of other cultures. Today, it is called “Kreol Morisien” and it is spoken by 99% of the Mauritians. According to a Mauritian linguist I interviewed, this language contains around 90% of French words.
The slaves were also forcibly christened upon their arrival in Mauritius. Hence, it was what Mauritian historian, Jocelyn Chan Low, called a “cultural genocide.” However, we later discovered that the African cultures did not disappear completely. According to some, fragments of their cultures did survive, through music, for example, where the slaves would sing in order to lament their poor lives. Today, this music is part of Mauritian culture. This new type of music, which derived from the African cultures, became known as the “sega”. The Maroon slaves also transmitted fragments of their African cultures to their descendants through a religious cult, which is still practised today, although it was, and still is, condemned by the Catholic Church. According to people I interviewed, this cult is called “longanis” in the Mauritian Kreol language. During that same period, sailors from several parts of the world passed through Mauritius on their way to or from the British Indian Empire. Under French rule, Chinese people migrated to Mauritius and brought their cultures along with them. To this day, their descendants have maintained their cultural heritage, through their language and some specific cults.
More cultures crossed Mauritius when the British took over the island. This was the last colonisation of Mauritius, but not the last culture crossing, for the new owners of the island abolished slavery in 1835 and brought in indentured labourers from India.
The slaves were taken by force from the African continent with different cultures. It was almost the same thing for the indentured labourers, but unlike the slaves, they were allowed to keep their cultures and their family names. They were paid, though not enough for the work done, according to some of their descendants interviewed. Some people argue that indentured labour was a disguised and new form of slavery. They were, however, freed at the end of their contract. This is not meant to quantify or to compare the suffering between slavery and indentured labour, which is, of course, non-quantifiable, but it is meant to show the results of this historical situation on their descendants. The indentured labourers came from several parts of India. Henceforth, these different cultures would come across each other without being widely mixed with the former cultures on the island. The Hindus were the first to create the system of community in Mauritius. They also developed schools known as “baitka”, to teach their ancestral languages and other aspects of their culture to their descendants. Some historians said that it was the beginning of protectionism, thus the beginning of communitarianism.
[post_title] => Culture crossing and mixing in Mauritius
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[questions] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 578908434
[question] => Of the following scenarios, which represents an example most similar in meaning to the phrase, “cultural genocide” used in the passage?
[value] => Array
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[answer] => 4
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Reasoning Beyond the Text” question, which means that it wants you to either apply or extrapolate the ideas in the passage to new situations or to assess how new information would impact the ideas presented in the passage. It is important to understand the assumptions underlying the article, and how new information may or may not shift the central thesis.
All of the options are examples of social injustice, but only one option embodies what is probably meant by “cultural genocide.” The passage refers to cultural genocide in paragraph 2 when the author describes how slaves brought to Mauritius from Africa had colonial religious practices imposed upon them. The author then goes on to say that despite such an example of cultural genocide, some “fragments of their cultures did survive, through music, for example.” This use of “cultural genocide” does not refer to a literal genocide, which is defined as the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation (option 3). However, we can infer that cultural genocide probably involves the disappearance of culture, such as religion, language (option 4), music, and other practices, through systematic oppression or persecution. Women who are murdered or driven to suicide (option 1) due to the cultural dowry practices is a consequence of a particular cultural practice, and is not an example of the elimination of a cultural practice. An ordinance targeting Chinese business owners (option 2) is arguably an example of discrimination based on race or socioeconomic status, not an example of a population’s culture disappearing due to systematic persecution by a dominant culture.
Option 4 is correct.
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[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. A country’s dowry practices often drive women to suicide or lead to their murder.
)
[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. A city ordinance targets laundromat businesses, 90% of which are Chinese-owned.
)
[2] => Array
(
[each_answer] => C. A military general systematically executes members of an ethnic minority.
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[3] => Array
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[each_answer] => D. A post-war treaty outlaws the speaking of Pequot, the language of Pequot Indians.
)
)
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[1] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3873426850
[question] => It can be reasonably assumed that the author would categorize the following statements in what way?
I. In the former Limbu kingdoms of Nepal, many ethnic groups have maintained their independent identity in Limbuwan, coexisting peacefully with each other.
II. Nepali cuisine has Tibetan, Indian, and Thai origins.
III. Much of the Indian Muslim community has settled in the Terai region of Nepal.
[value] => Array
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[answer] => 3
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Reasoning Beyond the Text” question, which means that it wants you to either apply or extrapolate the ideas in the passage to new situations or to assess how new information would impact the ideas presented in the passage. It is important to understand the assumptions underlying the article, and how new information may or may not shift the central thesis.
In paragraph 3, the author uses the Hindu community in Mauritius as an example of cultural-crossing. Statements I and III are examples that are analogous to the Hindu community in Mauritius maintaining a separate cultural identity. The ethnic groups (I) from the former Limbu kingdoms “co-exist” in the same region, but keep their own identities, is an example of cultural-crossing. The Indian Muslim community (III) living in a separate region of Nepal is also an example of cultural-crossing because the community’s religious identity is geographically relegated to a specific region of the country. In paragraph 1, the author uses the pidgin, a language that is a mix of different languages, as an example of cultural-mixing. Cuisine generated from the flavors and traditions of different cultures (II) is a similar example of cultural-mixing.
Option 3 is correct.
)
[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. I and II are examples of cultural-crossing, III of cultural-mixing.
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[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. I, II, and III are all examples of cultural-mixing.
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[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. I and III are examples of cultural-crossing, II of cultural-mixing.
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[3] => Array
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[each_answer] => D. I, II, and III are all examples of cultural-crossing.
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[2] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 83407773
[question] => Which of the following is presented as evidence that Mauritian society has been shaped by cultural mixing?
[value] => Array
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[answer] => 2
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Reasoning Within the Text” question. These items generally ask you to think about the author’s reasoning, such as what claim an author is trying to support with a piece of evidence, what assumption underlies a specific statement, or whether an argument is flawed.
Paragraph 1 discusses how the French enslaved people who spoke different languages to prevent collective revolt. The author then explains, “The slaves did find a way to communicate among themselves by mixing their ancestral language with that of their masters’ language.” A pidgin is a language that results from cultural mixing (option 2). The mere fact that the French colonized La Reunion (option 1), or the fact that slavery was abolished in 1835 (option 3) have nothing to do with cultural mixing. That the Hindus engaged in protectionism (option 4) means the opposite of cultural mixing in that they tried to cloister themselves off from other cultures on the island.
Option 2 is correct.
)
[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. The French also colonized La Reunion.
)
[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. The pidgin language “Kreol Morisien.”
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[2] => Array
(
[each_answer] => C. Slavery was abolished on the island in 1835.
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[3] => Array
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[each_answer] => D. The Hindus engaged in forms of protectionism.
)
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[3] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 872728905
[question] => In the statement, “The Hindus were the first to create the system of community in Mauritius,” the author’s use of the word ‘community’ is mostly likely defined in terms of:
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 1
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Foundations of Comprehension” question which is asking you to recognize an accurate paraphrase or summary of the central theme or of particular statements in the passage, or to interpret word choices made by the author.
The author uses the word “community” while explaining that the indentured labourers from India were not “widely mixed with former cultures on the island” (paragraph 3). After noting that “The Hindus were the first to create the system of community in Mauritius,” the author talks about the “baitka” schools that were created to preserve cultural identity. Of the options, this best corresponds to an ethnic identity (option 1). National identity (option 2) is predicated on the idea that there is a single identity within Mauritian culture that transcends local cultures. Here the author is saying that the Hindus in Mauritius did the opposite and promoted a local identity. Grassroots empowerment (option 3) and political affiliation (option 4) are not mentioned at all in the passage and are not as related to the cultural identity that is discussed throughout.
Option 1 is correct.
)
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. Ethnic identity
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[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. National identity
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[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. Grassroots empowerment
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[3] => Array
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[each_answer] => D. Political affiliation
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[4] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3143847772
[question] => Which of the following statements best captures a key point of the passage? The culture of Mauritius:
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 1
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Foundations of Comprehension” question which is asking you to recognize an accurate paraphrase or summary of the central theme or of particular statements in the passage, or to interpret word choices made by the author.
In addition to dominant European colonial culture, cultural history of the island includes the culture of slaves brought from Africa and Madagascar (paragraph 1), indentured servants from India (paragraph 3), and Chinese immigrants who came under French immigration policy (paragraph 2). In addition to these cultural-crossings, the passage gives examples of cultural-mixing, including the pidgin language spoken by 99% of Mauritanians today (paragraph 1), and the sega island music (paragraph 2) (option 1). Paragraph 3 explicitly states that Hindu culture did not mix very much with other cultures on the island (option 2), and that the Hindu community created an educational system referred to as “baitka” to maintain a separate system of culture and language. There is nothing in the passage that suggests the Chinese community feels marginalized (option 3). Finally, while there is lots of evidence that a national culture is emerging from the island’s history of cultural mixing, the passage author is arguing that the concept of national Mauritian culture is very complex, and never argues that it has simply become homogenized (option 4). The opening sentence of the passage reads, “Culture is quite an issue in Mauritius because of the number of culture crossings and mixings.”
Option 1 is correct.
)
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. evolved via cultural blending through history.
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[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. is largely Hindu since they were the first to create a system of community.
)
[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. is exclusionary, as Chinese descendants feel socially marginalized
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[3] => Array
(
[each_answer] => D. has become homogenized over the years due to the island’s small geographic size.
)
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[5] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3143847772
[question] => In the discussion of the fact that indentured servants from India were freed at the end of their contract, what is the author suggesting by saying that “it is meant to show the results of this historical situation on their descendants” in paragraph 4?
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 1
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Foundations of Comprehension” question which is asking you to recognize an accurate paraphrase or summary of the central theme or of particular statements in the passage, or to interpret word choices made by the author.
Paragraphs 1 and 2 discuss how the circumstances of slavery, namely the fact that slaves were culturally controlled, generated new culture, specifically language and music. Indentured servitude, while practically a “disguise for slavery,” was a contractual relationship with an end-date (paragraph 4). The statement the author makes about the “results of this historical situation” comes immediately before the author discusses the insularity of the Hindu community on the island, and their ability to retain elements of their own culture (option 1). The author specifically says the point is not to compare or quantify the relative suffering of both slavery and indentured servitude (options 2 and 4). The author writes in paragraph 3, “This is not meant to quantify or to compare the suffering between slavery and indentured labour.” The Hindu servants appeared to preserve more aspects of their prior cultural heritage, so if anything, the effects on their culture (option 3) would seem to be less than for the slaves.
Option 1 is correct.
)
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[each_answer] => A. Cultural-mixing may not have been as forced with indentured servitude.
)
[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. Slavery and indentured servitude are equally wrong and cruel.
)
[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. Indentured labour has far more devastating effects on culture and society.
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[each_answer] => D. Slavery led to greater personal hardships than indentured servitude.
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[559790|1] => D
[559790|2] => C
[559790|3] => B
[559790|4] => A
[559790|5] => A
[559790|6] => A
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