Which one of the following best states the main idea of the passage?
medasmx@protonmail.comon March 14, 2022
why A
demographics of slaves versus serfs suggests that it involves the slaves and serfs themselves. to me the difference is related to the size of the estates (number of serfs or slaves) which does not strike me as a demographic of serf or slave. that is why i did not pick A and in fact i picked E
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E seems good because the recent historian identified the differences
Emil-Kunkinon March 16, 2022
Hi Medas,
E falls short for two main reasons. First off, the passage is not meant as a critique of De Tocqueville. While he is mentioned in line 4, the author is not trying to refute his point or correct his omission- rather, De Tocqueville is held as an example of one of the many historians who failed to compare russian serfdom with american slavery.
Furthermore, this answer choice fails to account for the author's opinion, which is probably best summed up in lines 35-37. While E touches on the fact that recent historians have discussed the idea in more depth, it fails to account for the second half of the paragraph in which the author explores the difference in forms of resistance between russian serfs and american slaves.
A is a near paraphrase of the author's opinion, which we see summed up in 35-37. The demographics in question relate to the location and community organization (e.g. mid sized plantations or enormous estates) in this case.
