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 repeal the act. the experience also pushed the newspaper publishers into taking a pro - independence stance, which was critical in winning over public opinion for the revolution.
4 the stamp act was repealed before it did any real harm. the british were sensitive to the americans political objections to it, but not to the economic hardship that it would have created. they then reasoned that since the americans objected to internal taxes levied from england, they would raise money via part levies instead. in 1767, the british chancellor of the exchequer, charles townshend, promoted a piece of legislation that placed added taxes on various british goods that the americans imported, including glass, lead, painters pigments, tea - and paper. townshends legislation passed into law, and the british established a bureau in boston to enforce the new duties. newspapers vociferously protested.
5 one american response to the townshend act, first suggested in 1767 and broadly promoted by newspapers the following year, was to boycott british goods. the movement started in the north and quickly caught on in the south.
this question has two parts. answer part a, and then answer part b.
part a
this sentence is from the passage.
similar pleas were made in other colonies. (paragraph 14)
what does the authors use of the word pleas suggest about the paper mills?

1. they were desperate to obtain rags.
2. they were determined to locate rags.
3. they were irritated by the lack of rags.
4. they were hopeful about receiving rags.

part b
select two excerpts from the passage that best support the correct answer from part a.

1. this colony cannot be supplied with a sufficient quantity of paper for its own consumption without the particular care of its inhabitants in saving rags (paragraph 10)
2. they hereby are required immediately, to appoint some suitable person, in their respective towns, (where it is not already done) to receive in rags for the paper - mfrs (paragraph 11)
3. the inhabitants of this colony are hereby desired to be very careful in saving even the smallest quantity of rags proper for making paper (paragraph 11)
4. it is earnestly requested that the fair daughters of liberty in this extensive country would not neglect to serve their country by saving, for the paper mill in sutton, all linen and cotton and linen rags (paragraph 13)

Explanation:

In the context of the passage, the colonists faced shortages of materials needed for paper - making, such as rags. The word "pleas" implies a desperate need. Excerpts that show the struggle to get rags for paper - mills support the idea that they were desperate. "This Colony cannot be supplied with a sufficient quantity of Paper for its own consumption without the particular care of its Inhabitants in saving Rags" and "they hereby are required immediately, to appoint some suitable person, in their respective towns, (where it is not already done) to receive in Rags for the Paper - Mfrs" indicate the desperation.

Answer:

Part A: 1. They were desperate to obtain rags.
Part B: 1. "this Colony cannot be supplied with a sufficient quantity of Paper for its own consumption without the particular care of its Inhabitants in saving Rags" (Paragraph 10)

1. "they hereby are required immediately, to appoint some suitable person, in their respective towns, (where it is not already done) to receive in Rags for the Paper - Mfrs" (Paragraph 11)