Question

read the selection and answer the questions.

excerpt from of plymouth plantation
by william bradford

the second book
1 the rest of this history (if god give me life and opportunity) i shall, for brevitys sake, handle by way of annals, noting only the heads of principal things, and passages as they fell in order of time, and may seem to be profitable to know or to make use of. and this may be as the second book.

chapter xi
the remainder of anno 1620
the mayflower compact
2 i shall a little return back, and begin with a combination made by them before they came ashore; being the first foundation of their government in this place, occasioned partly by the discontented and mutinous! speeches that some of the strangers amongst them had let fall from them in the ship: that when they came ashore they would use their own liberty, for none had power to

8

based on the excerpt, what can be inferred about the role of leadership in the survival of the plymouth colony?

a the colonys survival depended largely on the leaderships ability to enforce strict punishments on those who oppose their authority.

b effective leadership, demonstrated through fairness, patience, and cooperation, helped maintain unity and order during times of hardship.

c the leaders had little influence over the colonys success because environmental challenges were the primary cause of their difficulties.

d the leaders encouraged individual freedoms over collective responsibility, leading to eventual disbandment of the community.

Explanation:

The Mayflower Compact was created to establish order and unity. Effective leadership (as in option B) would involve fairness, patience, and cooperation (qualities that help maintain unity and order, which are crucial for a colony's survival). Option A's focus on strict punishments is not indicated. Option C's claim that leaders had little influence is incorrect as the Compact shows leadership's role. Option D's statement about individual freedoms over collective responsibility and disbandment is not supported.

Answer:

B. Effective leadership, demonstrated through fairness, patience, and cooperation, helped maintain unity and order during times of hardship.