Question

How does the use of the word machine support the authors' claim in this passage?

Its negative connotation indicates that enslaved people had to work like robots instead of human beings.
Its negative denotation indicates that some people preferred handmade sugar over factory-produced sugar.
Its positive connotation indicates that plantations ran efficiently and produced huge amounts of sugar.
Its positive denotation indicates that it was easier for enslaved people to make sugar with machines.

Answer 1

Its negative connotation indicates that enslaved people had to work like robots instead of human beings.

Explanation: calling people "machines" dehumanizes them, implying they were treated as tools performing relentless labor without regard for their humanity. This supports an argument about exploitation; the other choices confuse denotation with connotation or give the wrong (positive) sense.