[Vocabulary] the Occident

[sitifan]

Everyone thinks of the President of the United States as the most powerful man in ______.
(A) western word
(B) the western world
(C) Occident
(D) the Occident

(A Must for College Entrance Examination: Cloze Tests with Detailed Answers, by Yang Jinfang)

The answer to the above question is option B. What's wrong with option D?

 

[tedmc]

Though D is rare and an obsolete word, I think it is not wrong. Questions can sometimes ask for the best answer, not necessarily just the right answer.

 

[Rover_KE]

Compare the five examples of 'the occident' here with the 830 for 'the western world'.

(Bookmark the site for future reference.)

 

[emsr2d2]

It is, however, still common for people in the western world to use "the Orient" to refer to China and the surrounding areas.

 

[tree123]

(Neither a teacher nor a native speaker.)

The phrase - the Orient is fine. [1]But avoid using the adjective - oriental to refer to Asian people. Some native speakers told me that they wouldn't use the abjective to refer to Asian people.

Source: lexico

Usage

The term Oriental, denoting a person from East Asia, is regarded as offensive by many Asians, especially Asian Americans. It has many associations with European imperialism in Asia. Therefore, it has an out-of-date feel and tends to be associated with a rather offensive stereotype of the people and their customs as inscrutable and exotic. Asian and more specific terms such as East Asian, Chinese, and Japanese are preferred.

Source: The term ‘Oriental’ is outdated, but is it racist? from Los Angeles Times

It is now politically incorrect to use the word “Oriental,” and the admonition has the force of law: President Obama recently signed a bill prohibiting use of the term in all federal documents. Rep. Grace Meng, the New York congresswoman who sponsored the legislation, exulted that “at long last this insulting and outdated term will be gone for good.”

EDIT:

[1]Thanks to tedmc's correction, I changed 'avoid to' to 'avoid using'

 

[tedmc]

I don't think the term Orientals to refer to Asians is used anymore in this day and age.

"Avoid to..." is not correct.

 

[tedmc]

It is, but it shouldn't be.

As an adjective, it is common but I don't think it is used on people. There is a School of Oriental Studies under the University of London.

P.S. It is used occasionally when it is meant to be derogatory.

 

[Tdol]

Everyone thinks of the President of the United States as the most powerful man in ______.
(A) western word
(B) the western world
(C) Occident
(D) the Occident

(A Must for College Entrance Examination: Cloze Tests with Detailed Answers, by Yang Jinfang)

The answer to the above question is option B. What's wrong with option D?

It is not a good question IMO because there are two possible answers, even though one is highly unlikely.