Question

read the passage from sugar changed the world. sugar is different from honey. it offers a stronger sweet flavor, and like steel or plastic, it had to be invented. in the age of sugar, europeans bought a product made thousands of miles away that was less expensive than the honey from down the road. that was possible only because sugar set people in motion all across the world—millions of them as slaves, in chains; a few in search of their fortunes. a perfect taste made possible by the most brutal labor. that is the dark story of sugar. how does the comparison of sugar to honey reveal the authors’ purpose? ∘ it persuades readers that sugar tastes better than honey. ∘ it informs readers that there is a connection between slavery and sugar. ∘ it informs readers that honey had a major impact on society. ∘ it persuades readers that sugar is as important an invention as steel.

Explanation:

1. Analyze Option A: The passage's focus isn't on persuading that sugar tastes better than honey. The comparison is more about the broader impact of sugar, not just taste preference. So A is incorrect.
2. Analyze Option B: The passage mentions that sugar "set people in motion all across the world—millions of them as slaves, in chains". The comparison to honey (local, less expensive in a different context) helps show how sugar's availability (due to slave labor) was a key part of its story, informing readers of the connection between slavery and sugar. This matches the author's purpose of revealing the dark history of sugar.
3. Analyze Option C: The passage is about sugar, not the major impact of honey on society. Honey is just a comparison point, so C is incorrect.
4. Analyze Option D: The comparison to steel is to show sugar was "invented" (in a production sense), but the main purpose of the passage and the honey comparison isn't to persuade that sugar is as important an invention as steel. The focus is on the slave labor aspect, so D is incorrect.

Answer:

B. It informs readers that there is a connection between slavery and sugar.