Question

this excerpt is about a political alliance in the south in the 1890s.
in 1894, black republicans and white populists joined together to create a \fusion\ ticket of candidates to oppose democrats. . . .
this wasnt the first time whites and blacks had allied politically. . . .
yet the fusion party proved to be more powerful than anyone had anticipated. . . .
fusion was a ticket of the working class, and the alliance soon began implementing policies that helped its supporters. . . .
the white elite were threatened by these new policies. . . . yet they had little connection with poor voters, and so had few ideas about how to address their economic concerns. instead, they tried to convince poor whites that they should not associate with blacks in any way.
—alana semuels, \segregation had to be invented,\ the atlantic, february 17, 2017
which claim about the south in the 1890s is supported by this excerpt?
a some african americans and whites were willing to work together to overturn existing social structures.
b african americans exercised their political power in ways that completely transformed southern society.
c some whites and african americans gained control of state legislatures throughout the southern region.
d whites representing the working class were able to permanently reverse harmful economic policies.

Explanation:

• Option A: The excerpt states that black Republicans and white Populists (some African Americans and whites) joined to oppose Democrats (existing social/political structure) via a fusion ticket. This matches the claim.
• Option B: The text says the Fusion Party was powerful but doesn't state it "completely transformed" society, so B is incorrect.
• Option C: There's no mention of gaining control of state legislatures, so C is wrong.
• Option D: The text doesn't say policies were "permanently reversed" or that only white working - class did it, so D is incorrect.

Answer:

A. Some African Americans and whites were willing to work together to overturn existing social structures.