Read the list of details from the article.

Question

1. There were several factors which led to the Scramble for Africa.
Most had to do with developments in Europe rather than in Africa.
2. Breech-loading guns had a much faster rate of fire, and could be
loaded even while lying on the ground. Europeans restricted the sale
of the new weaponry to Africa, in order to maintain military
superiority.
3. Most importantly, the European powers were now required to prove
they had a substantial presence in an area before they could
establish a colony. These rules were set up to prevent conflicts
between the European powers.
4. Once the rules were established, European colonization really took
off. Within just 20 years, Africa became almost completely colonized,
with only Liberia and Ethiopia remaining free of European control.

Which two details, taken together, provide the BEST support for the idea that the Europeans who
colonized Africa created regulations to benefit themselves and their countries?
(A) 1 and 2
(B) 1 and 4
(C) 2 and 3
(D) 3 and 4

Answer 1

The best choice is (D) 3 and 4.

Detail 3 states that European powers were required to prove a substantial presence in an area before establishing a colony, which indicates a regulation meant to benefit them by creating a structured method for colonization that could minimize conflict.

Detail 4 highlights that once these regulations were established, colonization rapidly succeeded, leading to almost complete control of Africa by the Europeans within a short period. This illustrates that the regulations allowed European powers to effectively expand their control and benefit from the colonization process.

Together, these details support the idea that the regulations were designed to benefit European countries in their colonization efforts.