Question

read this sentence from passage 2.

ear the end of her life, she told a reporter that she helped fund the militant abolitionist john brown’s 1859 raid on a federal arsenal at harpers ferry, virginia—an attempt to spark a slave revolt throughout the south.\ (paragraph 14)
how does the word \spark\ help support the author’s claim that pleasant made important contributions to the abolitionist movement?
by highlighting the fact that secretive action is often best
by emphasizing the idea that disagreements often develop quickly
by showing that there are multiple views on how to begin a revolution
by demonstrating that revolutions are often started by a significant event

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the meaning of "spark" in the context of a slave revolt. "Spark" implies initiating or starting something significant. Let's evaluate each option:

• Option 1: The sentence doesn't relate to secretive action, so this is incorrect.
• Option 2: "Spark" isn't about disagreements developing quickly, so this is wrong.
• Option 3: The sentence doesn't discuss multiple views on starting a revolution, so this is incorrect.
• Option 4: "Spark" here means the raid (a significant event) was an attempt to start the slave revolt, which matches the idea that revolutions are often started by a significant event. This supports the claim that Pleasant's funding (a contribution) was important as it helped start a potential revolt.

Answer:

D. by demonstrating that revolutions are often started by a significant event