Question

the colonies didn’t have a standing army. instead, they relied on local militias and minutemen, farmers who could grab a musket and assemble in a minute’s time. hearin revere’s call, a group of minutemen assembled in lexington to confront the british. th british, also known as redcoats or “lobster - backs” because of the bright red uniforms th wore, were clearly superior in training and numbers.
captain john parker, the leader of the minutemen, instructed his troops: “stand your ground; don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.” no one knows who fired the first shot in the battle of lexington, but it became known as the “shot heard ’round the world” because of its far - reaching consequences.
according to the passage, what was true about the minutemen?
choose one option
a they were well trained and had more members than the british.
b they were farmers who could assemble in a minute’s time.
c they wore bright red uniforms and were also known as redcoats.
d they fired the first shot in the battle of lexington.

Explanation:

• Option A: The passage says the British were superior in training and numbers, so A is wrong.
• Option B: The passage states "Minutemen, farmers who could grab a musket and assemble in a minute’s time", so B matches the description.
• Option C: The passage says the British (redcoats) wore bright red uniforms, not the Minutemen, so C is wrong.
• Option D: The passage says "No one knows who fired the first shot", so D is wrong.

Answer:

B. They were farmers who could assemble in a minute’s time.