Question

Gentlemen," said Mr. Stonecrop. "Back to the issue. Reverend Buckminster, we came here to ask you to help us rescue the town. You've seen the squalor on Malaga. There isn't a soul on that island who isn't a drunk or a thief. We tried educating them. We built a school and hired a teacher, all at the town's expense. But that didn't do a single bit of good."

"And besides," added Sheriff Elwell, "teaching those people is like teaching dogs to walk on their hind legs. All they know is living off others."

"I'm not sure but that it wouldn't be the Lord's work to put them somewhere they can be safe," said Mr. Stonecrop. "A place where they can be cared for."

–Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy,
Gary D. Schmidt

Which sentence best describes the conflict developing in this passage?

The townspeople of Phippsburg want to get rid of Turner’s father.
Reverend Buckminster must rescue Phippsburg from the people of Malaga.
The townspeople of Phippsburg want to get rid of the people on Malaga Island.
Sheriff Elwell is opposed to Mr. Buckminster’s efforts to teach the people of Malaga.

Answer 1

The townspeople of Phippsburg want to get rid of the people on Malaga Island.

They describe Malaga residents as drunks and thieves, say education “didn't do a single bit of good,” and suggest moving them “somewhere they can be safe,” indicating a desire to remove them.