Read the quotation from Lincoln Steffens’s The Shame of the Cities. "My purpose was. To see if the shameful facts, spread out in all their shame, would not burn through our civic shamelessness and set fire to American pride. " Which of the following best describes Steffens' purpose in writing about government? to encourage Americans to feel more pride in their government to highlight corruption in city and state governments to arouse public sympathy for government officials to incite Americans into a fiery revolt against their government.