Lesson 2, HW, Reading Comp. Passage 12, #22

[ellenb]

Dear Powerscore,

For this passage I got most of them right except question #22, please let me know, why B is wrong and why A is the right answer?


Thanks

Ellen

[Jacques Lamothe]

Hi Ellen,

(B) is incorrect because the views of the nobles quoted in line 37 are not about having a strong labor force. In the second half of that sentence, the author clarifies that the nobles' views were probably the result of desires to keep exports competitive by controlling labor costs. While the author does go on to suggest that the shift to a voluntary workforce ultimately helped the British economy, Eltis' citation of the nobles' view does not support that point of the passage.

(A) is a better description of Eltis' intent in referencing the views of the nobles. The second sentence of the paragraph characterizes Eltis' view as "Eschewing Drescher's idealization of British traditions of liberty." The following sentence that brings up the noble is part of the same argument. Eltis is arguing that British traditions did not respect liberty nearly as much as Drescher would like to believe because nobles were willing to enslave unemployed workers.

I hope this helps!

Jacques