Question

select the best evidence to support the statement that hired soldiers would fight for longer than knights would. feudalism started to disappear in the 1200s because nobles fought fewer battles with one another and did not need armies of knights as they once did. by the 1300s, kings had complete control of their countries and nobles had little power. kings still fought wars with other countries, but they hired soldiers, called mercenaries, to fight for them. the mercenaries fought for as long as they were paid, not just the 40 days a year that knights fought. the feudal structure looks like a pyramid. the most powerful people in society, the kings and a few great lords, were at the top of the pyramid. most people in society were peasants, at the bottom of the pyramid. from kay eastwood, medieval society. copyright 2003 by crabtree publishing company

Explanation:

To support the statement that hired soldiers (mercenaries) fought longer than knights, we look for the relevant sentence. The sentence "The mercenaries fought for as long as they were paid, not just the 40 days a year that knights fought" directly compares the duration: mercenaries' fighting time depends on payment (implying potentially longer than 40 days), while knights fought only 40 days a year. Other parts talk about feudalism's decline or the feudal structure, not the fighting duration comparison.

Answer:

The mercenaries fought for as long as they were paid, not just the 40 days a year that knights fought.