Question

Which excerpt from Early Victorian Tea Set best expresses MacGregor’s viewpoint about tea? “[W]hat could be less British than a cup of tea, given that tea is made from plants grown in India or China and often sweetened by sugar from the Caribbean.” “[T]he drink which has become the worldwide caricature of Britishness has nothing indigenous about it, but is the result of centuries of global trade and a complex imperial history.” “[R]uling classes had a real interest in promoting tea drinking among the growing urban population, who were poor, vulnerable to disease and perceived as prone to disorderly drunkenness.” “[S]laves in the Americas worked on sugar plantations, the start of the long and terrible triangular trade that carried European goods to Africa.”

Answer 1

In "A History of the World in 100 Objects", by Neil MacGregor, the option that best expresses MacGregor's point of view is "The drink which has become...a complex imperial history."

In "A History of the World in 100 Objects", by Neil MacGregor, the author hooks the reader by asking a question that makes the reader think about the link between tea and Britishness.  The title of the chapter is "Early Victorian Tea Set". In this chapter, MacGregor says that a cup of tea is not British at all, because tea comes from India or China and it is sweetened with sugar from the Caribbean. And these countries are linked to British imperial history.

Answer 2

Its option number 2. (the drink which has become...)