2 Anne Bonney, born in County Cork, Ireland, was the daughter of lawyer William Cormac and his housemaid. They came to America after Anne’s birth in the late 1600s and settled on a plantation near Charleston, South Carolina. A headstrong young woman “with a fierce and courageous temper,” she ran away with a young ne’er-do-well, James Bonney, against her father’s wishes. James took her to a pirates’ lair in New Providence in the Bahamas. In 1718, Bahamian Governor Woodes Rogers offered the King’s pardon to any pirate. James turned informant. Anne was disgusted with his cowardice. Soon after, she met and fell in love with the swaggering pirate Captain Jack Rackham. Disguising herself as a male, she began sailing with him on his ship Vanity, with its famous skull-and-crossed-daggers flag, preying on Spanish treasure ships off Cuba and Hispaniola.

Question

3 Mary Read was born at Plymouth, England, about 1690. Her father was a seafaring man who left on a long voyage and was never heard from again. Her mother waited years for her husband to return. When her money ran out, she took Mary to London to appeal to her mother-in-law for financial help. She knew this old woman disliked girls, so she dressed Mary in boy’s clothes and made her pretend to be her son. The mother-in-law was fooled. She promised a crown a week to help support them. Mary continued to masquerade as a boy for many years, even after the old woman died and the financial aid ended.
Which statement best expresses the main idea of paragraphs 2 and 3?
A.Anne Bonney was born in Ireland and later immigrated to America, while Mary Read was born in England and remained in Europe.
B.Anne Bonney was born to a well-to-do family but rebelled against her father, while Mary Read had to dress as a boy to earn money for the family.
C.Anne Bonney rebelled against her father, then began dressing as a male in order to be with her pirate lover, while Mary began dressing as a man when she became a pirate.
D.Anne Bonney began dressing as a male and became a pirate early in life, while Mary Read became a pirate as an adult in order to escape her debts.

Answer 1

The statement that best expresses the main idea of paragraphs 2 and 3 is:

C. Anne Bonney rebelled against her father, then began dressing as a male in order to be with her pirate lover, while Mary began dressing as a man when she became a pirate.

This option captures the core events of both paragraphs: Anne Bonney's defiance of her father's wishes and subsequent choice to disguise herself for love, as well as Mary Read's lifelong disguise as a boy which began out of necessity and continued until she became a pirate.