It can be inferred from the passage that the author mentions the case of Holland and the Netherlands in order to
(A) cite the case of a "primitive" or "barbaric" nation being distinguished from a "civilized" nation (B) provide an example of a state whose borders do not perfectly coincide with those of a nation (C) offer an example of the characteristics of a nation being applied to a particular area of the nation (D) present a case of a single region being treated by historiographers as representative of an entire nation (E) describe the case of a nation whose cultural and political identities distinguish it from a contiguous state