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The Souls of Black Folk is a 1903 book by W.E.B. Du Bois. In the book, Du Bois suggests that upon hearing Black folk songs, he felt an intuitive and sometimes unexpected sense of cultural recognition: blank
Which quotation from The Souls of Black Folk most effectively illustrates the claim?
Explanation
Choice B is the best answer because the quotation from The Souls of Black Folk illustrates the claim that Du Bois felt a sense of cultural recognition when he heard Black folk songs. In the quotation, Du Bois explains that for his entire life, Black folk songs “stirred [him] strangely.” Even though they originated in the South, a region he wasn’t familiar with, he knew the songs “as of me and of mine.” That is, he identified strongly with them and associated them with his community. Therefore, Du Bois felt an intuitive sense of cultural recognition when he heard Black folk songs.
Choice A is incorrect. Although the quotation considers the cultural and spiritual value of Black folk music, it doesn’t establish that this music inspired in Du Bois a sense of cultural recognition. Choice C is incorrect because this quotation addresses the cultural survival of Black folk songs despite attempts to caricature, or parody, them, not Du Bois’s sense of cultural connection to them. Choice D is incorrect because the quotation indicates that the Black folk songs and music are old, “the siftings of centuries,” instead of addressing how Du Bois felt when he heard the songs.