Question

the poor harvest could not have come at a worse moment. france had entered into an unfavorable trade treaty with england in 1776. the pact reduced import duties on english goods, the notion being to encourage french manufacturers to mechanize production in response to enhanced competition. a flood of cheap imports from across the channel overwhelmed the cloth industry. cloth production alone fell by 50 percent between 1787 and 1789. the 5,672 looms in amiens and abbeville in 1785 were down to 2,204 by 1789. thirty - six thousand people were put out of work, throwing many poor workers onto city streets at a time when hungry peasants were flocking to urban centers in search of food. the rural crisis might have been short - lived had not urban unemployment mushroomed at the same time. in paris, the government subsidized bread prices out of fear of the mobs, but to no avail. the situation was soon out of control.... source: brian fagan, the little ice age: how climate made history, 1300 - 1850, basic books, 2000 1. which claim related to the economic situation in 18th - century france is most directly supported by this passage? (1) a surplus of grain hurts french farmers. (2) subsidized bread prices led to improved living conditions in french cities. (3) economic competition with england led to agricultural innovation in france. (4) efforts to stimulate industry in france through trade agreements caused unemployment. 2. which event was caused in part by the conditions described in this passage? (1) collapse of the british empire (2) french withdrawal from mughal india (3) german wars of unification (4) french revolution

Explanation:

1. The passage states that France entered an unfavorable trade treaty with England in 1776 to encourage manufacturers to mechanize production. However, a flood of cheap imports overwhelmed the cloth industry, leading to job losses. This directly supports the claim that efforts to stimulate industry through trade agreements caused unemployment.
2. The economic hardships described in the passage, such as unemployment and food shortages, were contributing factors to the French Revolution. The other options are not related to the conditions in 18th - century France described in the text.

Answer:

1. (4) Efforts to stimulate industry in France through trade agreements caused unemployment.
2. (4) French Revolution