Question

read the passage. there are several questions about this passage.
european papermaking came to the american colonies in the late seventeenth century. although most paper made today is produced from wood pulp, paper in colonial times was made from cotton and linen fibers.

from paper

1
the history of paper offers insight into why the colonists wanted independence from britain. a coin, a paper mill, a newspaper—whatever it was that the colonists wanted, the crown often prohibited it. and then the british tried to earn revenue by taxing the goods the colonists were forced to import from england because local production was stifled.

2
in 1764, the british, looking for revenues in an economic recession that hurt both england and the colonies, proposed the stamp act. this required all american colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper, including shipping documents, legal documents, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, and even playing cards. the tax did not cost the average colonist a great deal, but they objected to the principle of the new legislation. the stamp act went beyond the normal practice of regulating commerce; it was a tax - raising measure, and one that was being done without the consent of local legislatures.

3
but for newspaper publishers, the stamp act was a true hardship. it demanded a halfpenny on each copy of a newspaper printed on what was known as “half - sheet.” if a newspaper used a larger format, it was assessed a penny a sheet. the act also charged two cents for an advertisement—and some of the ads only earned three cents—and a halfpenny for each copy of

this question has two parts. answer part a, and then answer part b.

part a
this sentence is from the passage.
“similar pleas were made in other colonies.” (paragraph 14)
what does the author’s use of the word pleas suggest about the paper mills?

1. they were desperate to obtain rags.
2. they were determined to locate rags.
3. they were irritated by the lack of rags.
4. they were hopeful about receiving rags.

part b
select two excerpts from the passage that best support the correct answer from part a.

Explanation:

Part A

To solve this, we analyze the meaning of "pleas" in the context of paper mills. "Pleas" here likely refers to requests for rags (since paper in colonial times was made from cotton and linen fibers, so rags were needed). Option 4 says they were hopeful about receiving rags, which fits the idea of making pleas (requests) in other colonies, implying hope for getting rags. Option 1 (desperate to obtain) is too strong, option 2 (determined to locate) is about finding, not receiving, and option 3 (irritated by lack) is about frustration, not pleas.

Answer:

1. They were hopeful about receiving rags.

Part B

(Note: Since the full passage isn't fully visible, we assume relevant excerpts. Typically, excerpts showing the need for rags or attempts to get rags would support Part A. For example, if there are parts about colonies needing rags for paper mills and making requests, those would be the excerpts. But based on the given passage start, possible excerpts could be related to the need for rags in paper production and colonial attempts to get them. However, as the full passage isn't provided, we can't list exact excerpts, but the process is to find two parts of the passage that show the paper mills' hope for receiving rags, like mentions of requests for rags or the need for rags in paper production in colonies.)