Which of the following can be most safely concluded about the African troops pictured in the second image?

(A) The French Empire equipped them with Western gear mainly for the purposes of show. (B) They were issued Western weapons due to the French Empire’s desire to defuse racial tensions. (C) The French Empire gave them Western uniforms to indicate commitment to racial equality. (D) They were trained in Western style to maximize the French Empire’s military manpower.Explanation: (D) This question tests interpretation and contextualization of broad trends, and it requires knowledge connected with the stimulus material but not directly referred to by it. Answers B and C are unlikely, due to the prevailing ideologies of imperialism and racial superiority among many Europeans in the 1800s. While A is not impossible, D refers to a standard technique used by imperial regimes.