Free Practice Question
RC · Reading Comprehension
605-655
Short Passage - Social Science
Reading Passage
Most business historians give the impression that Marseilles, a French Mediterranean city, was in dire economic straits from 1700 to 1715, when France was at war in the Mediterranean area. Their conclusions are based partly on a documented 30 percent decline in revenue generated by the cottimo, an import tax collected on the cargo of ships returning to Marseilles from various Middle Eastern ports. The decline in revenue from this particular tax could hypothetically have been caused by a massive drop in levels of commercial activity in Marseilles. However, during the war years Marseilles' role as a grain importer grew, and most foodstuffs had always been—and remained—exempt from the tax. Also, due to a shift in trading patterns caused by the war, the city's merchants did more business with those Middle Eastern cities on whose trade the cottimo had always been collected at a lower rate. Moreover, during this period, a change occurred in the thinking of Marseilles merchants, who, in response to the war's challenges, displayed a new sense of daring. They sent some ships outside the Mediterranean and began to engage in trade in the Atlantic and Pacific. This was significant, since the cottimo was collected only on goods entering the city from Mediterranean ports in the Middle East.
According to the author, most business historians see the decrease in cottimo revenues in Marseilles as providing evidence of which of the following?
Answer Choices
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A decline in the city's economy
B
A change in entrepreneurial thinking
C
A shift in Mediterranean patterns of trade
D
An increase in trade outside the Mediterranean
E
A drop in the amount of goods imported for later reexport
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Difficulty
605-655
Type
RC
Category