Question

Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, was one of the media stars of the First World War. The famous recruitment poster has him pointing straight at us in full uniform, finger in the foreground, handlebar moustache not far behind, with the words ‘Your country needs YOU’. By then Kitchener was already legendary as Kitchener of Khartoum, and this Central African wooden drum, which he captured and presented to Queen Victoria in 1898, just after his army had killed around 11,000 Sudanese soldiers in the Battle of Omdurman, is part of how he earned his title.

–A History of the World in 100 Objects,
Neil MacGregor

Why does MacGregor begin the chapter on the slit drum with facts about Horatio Herbert Kitchener?

to make the reader wonder how the slit drum helped make Kitchener famous
to make the reader guess what Kitchener looked like
to make the reader wonder what Queen Victoria thought about Kitchener
to make the reader understand why Kitchener captured the slit drum

Answer 1

to make the reader understand why Kitchener captured the slit drum

MacGregor gives Kitchener's background and fame to show the drum was a trophy of conquest and part of how Kitchener earned his reputation and title.