Question

text 1:
the legend of johnny appleseed, the barefoot wanderer who left thousands of apple trees across the united states, looms large in american folklore. a 1948 disney special played an enormous role in shaping the public perception of appleseed as a cheerful, ragged character scattering apple seeds from his ever - present bag.
however, the disney version of appleseed bears little resemblance to john chapman, the real man behind the legendary figure. so just who was johnny appleseed before his disney transformation?
born in 1774, chapman grew up during the revolutionary war and the subsequent expansion of american homesteaders into the territory west of pennsylvania. to encourage this expansion, the ohio company of associates offered 100 acres of land to anyone who established a homestead west of ohio’s first permanent settlement. settlers proved the permanence of their homesteads by planting 50 apple and 20 peach trees.
enter john chapman, savvy businessman. chapman collected apple seeds from cider presses in pennsylvania, and, from there, migrated across ohio and illinois, planting thousands of acres of apple trees, which he sold or bartered to incoming settlers. so, rather than a poor, barefoot wanderer, the real johnny appleseed was a successful entrepreneur.
is there any truth at all to the legend of johnny appleseed? well, chapman did indeed carry his seeds in a bag.
text 2:
this excerpt is adapted from “johnny appleseed, a pioneer hero” by w. d. healy.
at seventy - two years of age, he ripened into death as naturally and beautifully as the seeds of his own planting had grown into fiber and bud and blossom and the matured fruit.
thus died one of the memorable men of pioneer times, who never inflicted pain or knew an enemy. a man in whom there dwelt a comprehensive love that reached with one hand downward to the lowest forms of life, and with the other upward to the very throne of god. a laboring, self - denying benefactor of his race, homeless, solitary, and ragged, he walked the thorny earth with bare and bleeding feet, intent only upon making the wilderness fruitful. now his deeds will live in the fragrance of the apple blossoms he loved so well, and the story of his life will be a perpetual proof that true heroism, pure benevolence, robust virtues, and deeds that deserve immortality may be found under meanest apparel, and far from grand halls and towering castles.
how would the author of text 1 most likely respond to the underlined sentence in text 2?
choose 1 answer:
a by explaining that chapman was actually a businessman who profited greatly from his planting
b by agreeing that chapman was indeed a selfless, solitary individual
c by suggesting that chapman’s labors failed to create any benefit for himself or others
d by arguing that chapman’s actions were, in the end, harmful to the wilderness

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the two texts. Text 1 portrays Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) as a "savvy businessman" who "sold or bartered" apple trees to settlers, emphasizing his profit - seeking and business - oriented nature. The underlined sentence in Text 2 describes him as a "laboring, self - denying benefactor" with a more selfless and less business - focused depiction.

• Option A: Since Text 1 presents Chapman as a businessman who profited from his planting, the author of Text 1 would likely respond to the underlined sentence (which has a different portrayal) by explaining Chapman's business - profit aspect. This matches the Text 1's characterization.
• Option B: Text 1 does not present Chapman as selfless in the way Text 2 does; it focuses on his business acumen, so the author of Text 1 would not agree with this selfless portrayal. Eliminate B.
• Option C: Text 1 shows Chapman's actions benefited him (through selling/bartering) and settlers (by providing apple trees), so his labors were beneficial. Eliminate C.
• Option D: Text 1 has no indication that Chapman's actions were harmful to the wilderness; in fact, he planted apple trees which would be seen as a positive for the wilderness (providing resources for settlers). Eliminate D.

Answer:

A. by explaining that Chapman was actually a businessman who profited greatly from his planting