Question

read the passage and study the image from sugar changed the world. cutting cane was hard work, but it was nothing like what came next: piles of freshly cut cane had to be fed into the ever - turning mill wheels, until they were completely crushed. the owners insisted that during the work hours the grinding never stop, no matter what. the mills were most often tended by women who were doing dangerous work while getting almost no rest. that was a very bad combination. an ax was often propped up near the rollers so if a slave closed her eyes for a second while pushing the cane, her arm could be hacked off before she was pulled through the merciless grinders. guests at sugar plantations often remarked on how many one - armed people they saw. day after day, week after week, month after month, the cane was cut, hauled to the mill, and fed through how does the illustration help the reader understand the text? the illustration shows that grinding sugar with mechanical equipment is inefficient. the illustration emphasizes why grinding sugar cane into white sugar is necessary. the illustration depicts enslaved sugar mill workers as completely exhausted. the illustration depicts the people, equipment, and oxen required to manufacture sugar.

Explanation:

The text describes the process of sugar - cane grinding, including the people (enslaved workers), equipment (mill wheels), and animals (oxen might be implied in the overall sugar - manufacturing context as oxen were sometimes used in such setups historically). The first option about inefficiency is not supported as the text doesn't focus on inefficiency of mechanical equipment. The second option about the necessity of grinding into white sugar is not the main focus. The third option about exhausted workers is not the key aspect emphasized by the text - illustration relationship here. The fourth option correctly ties the illustration (assuming it shows the relevant elements) to the text's description of people, equipment, and (implied) oxen in sugar manufacturing.

Answer:

The illustration depicts the people, equipment, and oxen required to manufacture sugar.