Question

read the passage. there are several questions about this passage. from paper 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. 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. 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. the stamp act was repealed before it did any real harm.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 port 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. 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 which statement best expresses a central idea of the passage? 1. paper was both expensive and scarce in the american colonies because the british taxed it so severely. 2. newspapers in the american colonies were the main force behind the boycott of imported british paper. 3. the use of rags to create paper was the primary cause of the shortage of paper in the american colonies. 4. the shortage of paper was a serious problem in the american colonies before and after the start of the war. 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 americas paper needs.

Explanation:

The passage discusses how the British - imposed taxes like the Stamp Act on paper in the American colonies led to hardships and resistance, contributing to the colonists' push for independence. For Part A, the central idea is about the impact of paper - related taxes on the colonies. For Part B, the excerpts that support the central idea should relate to the tax requirements and the colonists' reactions.

Answer:

Part A: 1. Paper was both expensive and scarce in the American colonies because the British taxed it so severely.
Part B: 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)

1. "the thirty - four paper mills operating in the thirteen colonies in the 1760s did not have the capacity to meet America's paper needs" (Although not fully shown in the provided text for option 4, it relates to the paper shortage due to British policies)