Which of the following best defines cosmopolitan?

• A. Including people from many different countries
• B. Common to or representative of all or many different countries and cultures
• C. Containing or having experience of many different countries and cultures
• D. Free from local or national habits or prejudice

Answer: (A)

Cosmopolitan centers on the idea of diversity across nationalities. The best way to capture that is the sense of including people from many different countries. When something is described as cosmopolitan, you expect a mix of nationalities rather than a single-country focus, which is exactly what option that states “including people from many different countries” conveys.

The other options touch related ideas—being common to or representative of many cultures, or having experience of many countries and cultures—but they’re narrower or more about exposure and culture rather than the core sense of being defined by international diversity. The notion of being free from local or national habits or prejudice shifts away from the essential idea of including people from different countries and leans more toward a mindset, which isn’t the primary definition of cosmopolitan.