Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions as follows:
Passage
Commonplace items sometimes play surprising roles in world development. For example, though most people today associate nutmeg with simple baked goods, this common spice once altered the course of political history.
For centuries, the nutmeg tree grew only in the Banda Islands, a small chain in the southwest Pacific. Locals harvested the aromatic nuts of the tree and sold them to traders. Eventually these nuts, from which the spice is made, ended up as a luxury item in the European market, via Venetian spice merchants. Eager to establish a monopoly over this valuable spice, the Dutch attacked the Bandas, subjugating the native people in a mostly successful attempt to control the nutmeg trade.
However, one island in the Banda chain remained in the hands of the British and was the object of much conflict between the Netherlands and England. After many battles, the British offered to cede control of the island in exchange for New Amsterdam, a Dutch outpost on the east coast of North America. At the time, the Dutch, inveterate traders, were more interested in the spice trade than in the mercantile value of New Amsterdam and so accepted the offer. In 1667, the Treaty of Breda gave the Dutch complete control of the Banda Islands, and thus of the nutmeg trade, and gave the British New Amsterdam, which they promptly renamed New York.
Question for Practice Test: Reading Comprehension - 23
Try yourself:Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the claim that New Amsterdam would have remained a Dutch possession if not for the conflict over nutmeg?
Explanation
The passage tells us that The Netherlands ceded New Amsterdam in order to gain control of the valuable spice trade. This choice suggests that New Amsterdam was already a source of wealth for The Netherlands. So perhaps The Netherlands would have held on to New Amsterdam if they had not been offered something they perceived to be even more valuable (e.g., nutmeg).
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Question for Practice Test: Reading Comprehension - 23
Try yourself:The passage suggests which of the following about the Banda Islands?
Explanation
The passage states that after the Dutch attacked the Bandas, "one island in the Banda chain, however, remained in the hands of the British." This implies that the British already had a presence in the islands.
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Question for Practice Test: Reading Comprehension - 23
Try yourself:The second paragraph performs which of the following functions in the passage?
Explanation
The second paragraph offers specific information -- namely, the role that nutmeg played in the history of New York -- to support the claim that commonplace items play surprising roles in world history.
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Question for Practice Test: Reading Comprehension - 23
Try yourself:Which of the following is mentioned in the passage as a reason for the initial interest of the Netherlands in the Banda Islands?
Explanation
The Netherlands attacked the Bandas in order to control trade in nutmeg, a valuable commodity at that time. It hoped to establish a monopoly in the spice, thus restricting access to it.
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Question for Practice Test: Reading Comprehension - 23
Try yourself:In the passage, the author is primarily interested in
Explanation
Nutmeg is used as a specific example of the author's general claim that common items sometimes cause extraordinary events.
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