Question

read the passage. there are several questions about this passage.
european papermaking came to the american colonies in the late seventeenth century. although most paper made today is produced from wood pulp, paper in colonial days was made from cotton and linen fibers.

from paper

1
the history of paper offers insight into why the colonists wanted independence from britain. a coin, a paper mill, a newspaper—whatever it was that the colonists wanted, the crown often prohibited it. and then the british tried to earn revenue by taxing the goods the colonists were forced to import from england because local production was stifled.

2
in 1764, the british, looking for revenues in an economic recession that had hit both england and the colonies, proposed the stamp act. this required all american colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper, including shipping documents, legal documents, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, and even playing cards. the tax did not cost the average colonist a great deal, but they objected to the principle of the new legislation. the stamp act went beyond the normal practice of regulating commerce: it was a fund - raising measure, and one that was being done without the consent of local legislatures.

3
but for newspaper publishers, the stamp act was a true hardship. it assessed a halfpenny on each copy of a newspaper printed on what was termed “half a sheet.” if a newspaper used a larger format, it was assessed a penny per copy. the act also charged two cents for an advertisement— and some of these ads only earned three cents— and a halfpenny for each copy of a pamphlet. an additional tax on publishing in foreign languages killed a thriving german - language press in pennsylvania. lawyers, whose documents were also taxed, were harmed by the stamp act as well, and together, newspaper publishers and lawyers led a successful campaign to

part b
select two excerpts from the passage that best help develop the correct central idea from part a.

□ 1. “this required all american colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper, including shipping documents, legal documents, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, and even playing cards.” (paragraph 2)

□ 2. “newspapers themselves became committed, for the first time, to printing on american - made paper” (paragraph 5)

□ 3. “americans vowed to content themselves with inferior american paper, even if, due to the competition created by the townshend act boycott, it cost more.” (paragraph 7)

□ 4. “the thirty - four paper mills operating in the thirteen colonies in the 1760s did not have the capacity to meet america’s paper needs” (paragraph 7)

□ 5. “once the revolution began and british imports cut off, american paper mills, by this time numbering eighty, still could not meet the demand for paper.” (paragraph 8)

Explanation:

To solve this, we first need to determine the central idea from Part A (though not provided, we can infer it's about colonial paper, taxes, and independence or colonial paper production/use). Let's analyze each option:

1. Excerpt 1 (Paragraph 2): Talks about the Stamp Act taxing printed paper. This relates to British taxation (a reason for colonial unrest/independence) and paper use.
2. Excerpt 2 (Paragraph 5): Discusses newspapers using American - made paper, focusing on paper production shift, not central to taxation/independence.
3. Excerpt 3 (Paragraph 7): Americans’ commitment to American paper, about preference, not central idea.
4. Excerpt 4 (Paragraph 7): Paper mills’ capacity, about production limits, not central.
5. Excerpt 5 (Paragraph 8): Paper mills during Revolution, about production during war, not central.

If the central idea is about British taxation (Stamp Act) leading to colonial unrest (relating to paper and independence), Excerpt 1 (about Stamp Act tax) and another that connects paper to colonial actions. Wait, maybe the central idea is about colonial paper use/taxation and their path to independence. Let's re - evaluate:

Excerpt 1 (Paragraph 2): “This required all American colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper... (Paragraph 2)” explains the Stamp Act, a key tax that angered colonists (relating to independence).

Excerpt 5 (Paragraph 8): “Once the Revolution began and British imports cut off, American paper mills... still could not meet the demand for paper.” Shows how the Revolution (independence - related) affected paper production, connecting paper to the Revolution. But maybe the central idea is about how paper - related taxes (Stamp Act) and colonial paper production issues led to independence.

Wait, maybe the correct two are Excerpt 1 (about Stamp Act tax, a cause of colonial unrest) and Excerpt 5 (about paper mills during Revolution, showing colonial self - sufficiency attempts). But let's check again.

Alternatively, if the central idea is about colonial paper and the Stamp Act’s impact:

Excerpt 1 (Paragraph 2) describes the Stamp Act’s tax on paper, which is a key event.

Excerpt 3 (Paragraph 7): “Americans vowed to content themselves with inferior American paper... due to the competition created by the Townshend Act boycott...” shows colonial resistance (buying American paper) as a response to British taxes (Townshend Act, related to Stamp Act - style taxation), which supports the central idea of colonial unrest over taxes and paper.

But the most logical, if the central idea is about how British taxation on paper (Stamp Act) and colonial responses (like using American paper) led to independence:

Excerpt 1 (Paragraph 2) (Stamp Act tax on paper) and Excerpt 3 (Paragraph 7) (Americans using American paper despite cost, showing resistance).

But let's follow the standard:

To determine the two excerpts, we analyze their relevance to the central idea (likely about colonial paper, British taxation, and colonial resistance/independence).

• Excerpt 1 (Paragraph 2): Describes the Stamp Act’s tax on printed paper, a key British tax that angered colonists (relating to their desire for independence).
• Excerpt 3 (Paragraph 7): Shows Americans’ commitment to using American - made paper (even if inferior/costly) as a form of resistance to British policies (like the Townshend Act boycott), supporting the central idea of colonial resistance linked to paper.

Answer:

1. "This required all American colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper, including shipping documents, legal documents, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, and even playing cards." (Paragraph 2)
2. "Americans vowed to content themselves with inferior American paper, even if, due to the competition created by the Townshend Act boycott, it cost more." (Paragraph 7)