We Are Not Yet Equal

by Carol Anderson

These were mayors, governors, legislators, business leaders, and police chiefs. In the wood-paneled rooms of city halls, in the chambers of city councils, in the marbled state legislatures, and in sheriffs’ offices, white government officials, working hand in hand with plantation, lumber mill, and mine owners, devised an array of ways to stop black people from exercising their right to freedom of movement.

Why?

Black labor was the foundation of the region’s economy. Black people were also indispensable to the South’s social and political structure.

Excerpt from "We Are Not Yet Equal", a young adult adaptation of "White Rage" by Carol Anderson, first published in 2016 by Bloomsbury USA. © 2018 by Carol Anderson

Question
Use the passage from “We Are Not Yet Equal” by Carol Anderson to answer the question.

How does the writer vary syntax in the passage?

(1 point)
Responses

by including a single complex sentence
by including a single complex sentence

by using mostly simple sentences
by using mostly simple sentences

by using mostly imperative sentences
by using mostly imperative sentences

by including a single interrogative sentence
by including a single interrogative sentence
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1 answer

The writer varies syntax in the passage primarily by including a single interrogative sentence. This is evident in the passage's rhetorical question, "Why?" which prompts readers to consider the reasons behind the actions of the white government officials in relation to black people's rights and freedoms. The use of an interrogative sentence contrasts with the declarative sentences that dominate the rest of the passage, thereby adding a layer of engagement and thoughtfulness to the text.