Read the passage from Sugar Changed the World.

Question

In 1733, Parliament ruled that an extra six cents must be added to the price of every gallon of molasses that did not come from an English source. If the colonists actually followed the rules of the Molasses Act, it would have terrible consequences. Molasses from French islands would now be too expensive—merchants could never make a profit. So they would have to turn to the English, who would surely raise their prices. This one law could cripple the entire North American trade with the sugar islands—if, that is, the colonists or the French followed the rules. But of course they did just the opposite.

The Molasses Act accomplished nothing except to make Americans better smugglers. Yet the act was renewed again and again—until the crucial year of 1763. Just as the Molasses Act was due to expire, England completed its victory over France in the global contest known as the Seven Years’ War (the segment of that war fought in North America is often called the French and Indian War). To pay for the war, the prime minister decided to put some teeth into the legislation. Now called the Sugar Act, the law was designed to make sure the American colonists stopped smuggling and paid their sugar tax.

Which details do the authors include to support the claim in this passage? Select three options.

an explanation of the results of the Seven Years’ War
an explanation of how the Molasses Act benefited colonists
an explanation of what was being taxed and how much it cost
an explanation of why the Americans smuggled molasses
an explanation of why the British imposed the Sugar Act

Answer 1

The three options that support the claims made in the passage are:

1. An explanation of why the Americans smuggled molasses - The passage states that the Molasses Act made molasses from French islands too expensive, leading colonists to smuggle in order to avoid high taxes, which highlights the impact of the law on American behavior.

2. An explanation of what was being taxed and how much it cost - The passage discusses the specific taxation details of the Molasses Act, mentioning an additional six cents per gallon for molasses not sourced from England.

3. An explanation of why the British imposed the Sugar Act - The passage explains that following the Seven Years’ War, Britain sought to enforce the tax laws more strictly to recoup the costs of the war, which led to the implementation of the Sugar Act.

These details collectively illustrate the context and consequences surrounding the Molasses and Sugar Acts as discussed in the passage.