Question

Read the passage from Sugar Changed the World.

And yet, for all the hardships and prejudice, most Indians decided to stay in the colonies even after their contracts ended. By the end of the 1800s, only a quarter of the indentures sailed back to India after their five years were over. Sometimes this was because they were still too poor. Others told tales of returning only to be spurned by their villages for having broken caste or to be preyed upon by relatives who stole their money. Most of those who stayed in the New World, though, chose to do so because it offered a new life. And in the late 1800s, the authorities began to make a new offer to Indian workers. If they remained in the Caribbean, they could get a small plot of land of their own. After putting in their time in sugar, they could begin to farm for themselves.

Which goal does this passage address?

the goal of explaining why the majority of Indians stayed in the colonies
the goal of showing why Indians were rejected by their home villages
the goal of showing the prejudice Indians faced in the Caribbean
the goal of explaining the terms of the Indians’ indenture contracts

Answer 1

the goal of explaining why the majority of Indians stayed in the colonies

The passage lists reasons (poverty, rejection at home, desire for a new life, and offers of land) explaining why most Indians remained after their indenture ended.