Based on the passage, which one of the following considerations would be most important for an English creditor after...

shunhe on August 17, 2020

Hi @schicago,

Thanks for the question! So we’re being asked here for the most important consideration for an English creditor post-Glorious Revolution when deciding whether to lend money to the Crown at a relatively low interest rate. Well, where in the passage is this discussed? This is talked bout starting in the third paragraph on line 38. We’re told that after the Glorious Revolution, Parliament “controlled the Crown’s purse strings” and “represented commercial interests that would not tolerate governmental disregard for property rights” (lines 41-44). And so it’s this representation of interests that ends up translating into a newfound ability to borrow, since lenders believed the Crown would honor its debts. So what’s the most important thing here, what’s the passage emphasizing? It’s emphasizing the fact that the Parliament represents commercial interests, and so that’s what the English creditors care about. This is what (B) tells us, so it’s the correct answer.

(E), on the other hand, tells us that the most important consideration is whether the Crown’s borrowing has increased in recent years. This might make sense in real life, but remember, we need to go based off what the passage tells us. The passage focuses on whether or not lenders can trust the Crown to honor its debts; does it say anything about whether or not creditors care about the Crown’s level of borrowing? No, not really. And since there’s no textual support for (E), it’s incorrect.

Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any other questions that you might have.