Question

passage 1: cross of gold by representative william jennings bryan
1 the gentleman who just preceded me governor russell spoke of the old state of massachusetts. let me assure him that not one person in all this convention entertains the least hostility to the people of the state of massachusetts.
2 but we stand here representing people who are the equals before the law of the largest cities in the state of massachusetts. when you come before us and tell us that we shall disturb your business interests, we reply that you have disturbed our business interests by your action. we say to you that you have made too limited in its application the definition of a businessman. the man who is employed for wages is as much a businessman as his employer. the attorney in a country town is as much a businessman as the corporation...
22 quintero pena, yosneidy
in passage 1, how does bryan develop the central idea that the gold standard primarily benefits cities?
a by arguing for a new and more accurate definition of business interests
b by stating the depths and heights at which miners must extract precious metals
c by emphasizing the economic burden that has fallen to farms and country towns
d by explaining the idea that helping the wealthy will ultimately help everyone else too

Explanation:

To determine how Bryan develops the central idea that the gold standard primarily benefits cities, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The passage focuses on the impact on different regions (farms/country towns vs cities), not redefining business interests. Eliminate A.
• Option B: The passage does not discuss the depths/heights of mining precious metals. Eliminate B.
• Option C: Bryan emphasizes that the gold standard's effects (disturbing business interests) have burdened farms and country towns, implying cities benefit more. This aligns with developing the idea.
• Option D: The passage does not present the idea of helping the wealthy to help everyone. Eliminate D.

Answer:

C. by emphasizing the economic burden that has fallen to farms and country towns