Question

which of the following inferences is best supported by the opening stanza of the poem?
very soon the yankee teachers
came down and set up school;
but, oh! how the rebs did hate it,—
it was agin’ their rule.

a. the speaker is a yankee teacher.

b. setting up schools is the main focus of the yankees.

c. education of formerly enslaved people faces strong local opposition.

d. the schools are being set up during a time of war.

Explanation:

1. For option A: The stanza does not identify the speaker as a Yankee teacher; it only describes the teachers' actions and the Rebs' reaction.
2. For option B: The stanza only states Yankees set up schools, not that this is their main focus.
3. For option C: "Yankee teachers" refers to Northern educators who taught formerly enslaved people in the post-Civil War South. "Rebs" (Confederate sympathizers) hated the schools, as it opposed their established social order, which aligns with strong local opposition to educating formerly enslaved people.
4. For option D: The term "Rebs" references ex-Confederates, implying this is post-war, not during active war.

Answer:

C. Education of formerly enslaved people faces strong local opposition.