Question

read the passage. there are several questions about the passage.

european papermaking came to the american colonies in the late seventeenth century. although most paper mills today are produced from mixed 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 1765, 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 food - cursing 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 tax 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 those 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.

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 author’s 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 “the 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)

Explanation:

Part A

To solve this, we analyze the meaning of "pleas" in the context. The passage talks about colonists wanting independence and the Crown profiting from their goods, with local production stifled. "Pleas" here likely refer to requests for help (rags, as paper mills used rags). Option 1: "Desperate to obtain rags" fits—if they needed rags for paper mills and local production was stifled, they'd be desperate. Option 2: "Determined to locate rags" is about finding, not needing. Option 3: "Irritated by lack of rags" is about anger, not the plea's implication. Option 4: "Hopeful about receiving rags" is less urgent than desperate. So the best is option 1.

We need excerpts supporting the idea that paper mills were desperate for rags. Let's analyze each option:

• Option 1: "The 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) shows the colony lacks enough rags for paper, so inhabitants must save rags—supporting desperation for rags.
• We need another. Let's assume there's another relevant excerpt (though the image cuts off, but from context, likely one about local production stifled or need for rags). But based on the given option 1, and another (if present, but from the visible, option 1 is valid, and let's say another like one about Crown profiting or local production issues, but since only option 1 is visible here, but the question says select two. However, from the visible, option 1 is a valid support.

Answer:

1. They were desperate to obtain rags

Part B