Question

read the passage from sugar changed the world
in every single american slave state, the population of enslaved people kept rising even after the slave trade was abolished. that was because enough enslaved children were born, lived, and grew to become adults. there was just one exception to this rule: louisiana, where the native - born enslaved population kept dropping. sugar was a killer.
unlike the caribbean, louisiana has cold snaps. that put an additional pressure on the sugar harvest. not only did the slaves need to harvest the cane in perfect rhythm with the grinding mills, but the entire crop had to be cut down between mid - october and december. this pace only increased when growers installed improved, steam - powered mills. people needed to work faster than the weather and to keep pace with machines.
what is the authors purpose in this passage?
○ to inform the reader that louisiana had fewer enslaved people than other slave states did
○ to inform the reader that louisianas hot weather hastened the sugar harvest to a few months
○ to inform the reader that life for enslaved people improved when sugar mills became powered by steam
○ to inform the reader that louisianas short harvest season meant that enslaved people were cruelly overworked

Explanation:

• Analyze each option:
• Option 1: The passage's main focus isn't comparing Louisiana's enslaved population to others, so this is incorrect.
• Option 2: The passage says Louisiana has cold snaps, not hot weather, so this is wrong.
• Option 3: The passage shows that with steam - powered mills, enslaved people had to work faster, not that their life improved, so this is incorrect.
• Option 4: The passage explains that Louisiana's short harvest season (between mid - October and December) and the introduction of steam - powered mills made enslaved people work faster, meaning they were cruelly overworked. This matches the content of the passage.

Answer:

D. to inform the reader that Louisiana's short harvest season meant that enslaved people were cruelly overworked