Sugar Changed the World, Part 1: Author’s Purpose Answers

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Read the passage from Sugar Changed the World.Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833, thirty years before the Emancipation Proclamation in the United States. But even after they freed their slaves, the sugar plantation owners were desperate to find cheap labor to cut cane and process sugar. So the British owners looked to another part of the empire—India—and recruited thousands of men and women, who were given five-year contracts and a passage back. For a person from India, going overseas was not a simple matter. Once you crossed the "black water" of the surrounding oceans, you were said to have "gone to tapu." You no longer had any place in your village and could not be accepted back until you went through a special ceremony. Leaving India truly meant giving up your home; yet for some—for my family—that was their only chance for a better life.

A
The details about leaving India persuade readers that it was a good idea for people to leave.
B
The details about the “black water” entertain readers with stories of traveling overseas.
C
The details about families leaving for a better life inform readers about the status of the author’s family.
D
The details about hiring people from India persuade readers that people who crossed the seas were hard workers.
2
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Read the passage from Sugar Changed the World.I wanted to know more about the beguiling Nina, and my cousin had plenty of stories to share. He told me that her grandfather was a Russian serf—a farmer who could be bought and sold by the noble who owned his land. Family legend has it that this serf, a remarkable and intelligent man, helped to change the course of the history of sugar. In the early 1800s, the British controlled most of the sugar plantations of the Caribbean and the sea routes to Europe. As a result, their rivals were desperate to find a new way to create sugar. They turned to beets.

A
It explains why the person telling the story is fascinated with Russian history.
B
It provides background on how a family from Russia got into the sugar business.
C
It explains that beets can be grown, processed, and refined into sugar for market.
D
It reveals methods used by the British to maintain control of the sugar market.
3

How does the conclusion of the prologue support the authors’ purpose? Select two options.

A
It introduces the topic that will be addressed next.
B
It provides information about the authors.
C
It states why the topic is relevant to readers.
D
It cites sources the authors used in the text.
E
It explains how the authors came to study the subject.
4

Which statements best describe the author’s purpose for writing this passage? Select two options.

A
to present background information about Nina
B
to create a sense of suspense about Nina’s future
C
to intrigue the reader with details about Nina
D
to show how Nina was able to mislead people
E
to persuade the reader that Nina was rich
5

Read the passage from Sugar Changed the World.Eventually, I visited Guyana to find out the fate of our house. As our car passed old sugar estates, and I saw the palm trees bending against the wide sky, the lush cane growing in thick, shiny rows, the villages, which were really parcels of land surrounding the important estates, I realized that sugar had been the entire reason for this country's existence. Every now and then an old boiling house—where the cane is processed into crystals, molasses, and rum—would show itself on the flat landscape, cropping up like a hulking ghost.

A
They show that the author wants to persuade readers that her family was important.
B
They show that the author wants to inform readers by describing the old sugar estates.
C
They show that the author wants to entertain readers with stories about the plantations.
D
They show that the author wants to inform readers about the fate of the family’s house.
6

What is the purpose of the cause-and-effect structure of this passage? Select two options.

A
to mark important events in the history of sugar
B
to show how the desire for sugar led to slavery
C
to compare the labor used for sugar with that used in other industries
D
to reveal that the reason for sugar’s low price was slavery
E
to explain how honey led to the discovery of sugar
7

Read the passage from Sugar Changed the World. A rock drawing in Spain from about 7000 B.C. shows a man who has climbed a hillside, found a crevice holding a hive, and is reaching in to grab the honey. Indeed, a lucky wanderer in just about any part of Europe, Africa, or Asia that wasn’t covered with ice could stumble on a hive and—at the risk of some stings—come away with a treat. (People in the Americas had no bees, so used syrups made from maple trees, agave cactus, or mashed fruits for their sweeteners.) Then someone figured out that you didn't have to be lucky. You could hollow out a log near bees, and they would make it their home. You could "keep" bees—you didn't have to find them.

A
It shows the chronological order of when different types of sweeteners were discovered.
B
It uses a problem-and-solution structure to show how people got honey without searching for bees.
C
It shows cause and effect by revealing that people who raided beehives often were stung.
D
It uses a compare-and-contrast structure by comparing the popularity of each type of sweetener.
8

Read the passage from Sugar Changed the World.Sugar is different from honey. It offers a stronger sweet flavor, and like steel or plastic, it had to be invented. In the Age of Sugar, Europeans bought a product made thousands of miles away that was less expensive than the honey from down the road. That was possible only because sugar set people in motion all across the world—millions of them as slaves, in chains; a few in search of their fortunes. A perfect taste made possible by the most brutal labor: That is the dark story of sugar.

A
The comparison of honey to sugar production helps persuade readers that honey is better than sugar.
B
The details about sugar’s dependency on slavery help inform readers about why sugar was inexpensive.
C
The details about the sugar’s strong flavor entertain the reader with stories of how people invented sugar.
D
The comparison of the invention of sugar to steel helps persuade readers that sugar is easier to make than steel.
9

Read the timeline from Sugar Changed the World.1789French Revolution begins with the declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen1791Children of free parents in French sugar colonies are granted the full rights of French Citizens, no matter what their color or origin; slavery abolished within borders of France1792French leaders begin to use the guillotine to execute enemies1793Louis XVI executed; Marie Antoinette executed1794Slavery abolished in all French sugar colonies1799Napoleon takes power in France1800Napoleon gains control of the center of North America—the Louisiana Territory from Spain, plans to use it to feed and supply his sugar islands1802Napoleon makes slavery legal again

A
The details about the shift of power in France help persuade readers that France was important to the sugar industry.
B
The details about the changing laws in France help inform readers that Napoleon wanted to produce sugar cheaply by using enslaved people.
C
The details about the French Revolution help inform readers about the process of executing enemies.
D
The details about Marie Antoinette help persuade readers that the French royalty were not well liked.
10

An introductory section that sets up a lengthy text is a

A
timeline.
B
conclusion.
C
prologue.
D
caption.

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