Question 4.

The major idea put forth by the author is that cultural barriers can be broken down and an outsider can ingrain himself with the local culture by learning the language of the culture.

The author himself says that an individual who wrestles with a difficult language would learn to be more sympathetic to outsiders. He also says that empathy is not tied to gender and race, and therefore a individual who learns languages is usually empathetic to different races in the world. Thus option B can be inferred from the passage and is incorrect.

The passage makes no mention of linguistic politics. Also he is of the opinion that a person's characteristics can be changed for the good by learning another language. Hence option C can be inferred from the author's argument and is incorrect.

The word orientalism itself means looking down upon middle eastern countries by the US and European countries. Hence, option D does not make sense.

Option A is directly in conflict with the author's main point and that would be the major criticism by the author's critics. Hence it is the correct answer.