Question

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. how do the details in this passage support the author’s purpose? the details about leaving india persuade readers that it was a good idea for people to leave. the details about the \black water\ entertain readers with stories of traveling overseas. the details about families leaving for a better life inform readers about the status of the author’s family. the details about hiring people from india persuade readers that people who crossed the seas were hard workers.

Explanation:

• Option A: The passage's focus is not to persuade readers that leaving India was a good idea generally, but about labor recruitment for sugar plantations and the author's family's situation, so A is incorrect.
• Option B: The "black water" details are to explain the significance of leaving India, not to entertain with travel stories, so B is incorrect.
• Option C: The details about families (including the author's family) leaving for a better life inform readers about the author's family's status (their reason for leaving India was to get a better life), which aligns with the passage's content.
• Option D: The passage is not about persuading readers that those who crossed seas were hard workers, but about the labor situation after slavery abolition and the author's family's story, so D is incorrect.

Answer:

C. The details about families leaving for a better life inform readers about the status of the author’s family.