Question

read the passage, then answer the question that follows.
as ever, sugar work was brutally hard. the workers woke early, and for the first few months they were \seasoned\—learning the numbers with a cane. after they were broken in, the burning work of tending or weeding or getting a place at the factory. the indians contracts called for seven hours work for about twenty - four cents a day. during the first few months, though, eight cents a week was deducted for food rations, and no matter what the work was on a piece of paper, sugar workers did not work just seven hours. more often than not, they labored as long as there was light, in the broiling heat. and though they might not be shackled or whipped like slaves, their lives were completely controlled by the terrifying overseers.
—sugar changed the world,
which quotation from the excerpt uses empirical evidence to support the central idea that the indians working conditions were merciless?

• \if they were lucky, they might get a place at the factory.\
• \as ever, sugar work was brutally hard.\
• \their lives were completely controlled by the terrifying overseers.\
• \the indians contracts called for seven hours work for about twenty - four cents a day.\

Explanation:

To find the quotation with empirical evidence for the central idea (Indians' working conditions were merciless), we analyze each option:

• Option 1 talks about getting a factory place, not working conditions.
• Option 2 is a claim about work being hard, not empirical evidence.
• Option 3 provides specific details (seven hours' work, twenty - four cents a day) about the Indians' work, which is empirical evidence showing the merciless nature of their working conditions.

Answer:

The "The 'Indians' contracts called for seven hours' work for about twenty - four cents a day." quotation (the third option) uses empirical evidence to support the central idea.