Free Practice Question
RC · Reading Comprehension
705-805
Short Passage - Social Science
Reading Passage
According to the conventional view, serfdom in nineteenth-century Russia inhibited economic growth. In this view Russian peasants’ status as serfs kept them poor through burdensome taxes in cash, in labor, and in-kind; through restrictions on mobility; and through various forms of coercion. Melton, however, argues that serfdom was perfectly compatible with economic growth, because many Russian serfs were able to get around landlords’ rules and regulations. If serfs could pay for passports, they were usually granted permission to leave the estate. If they could pay the fine, they could establish a separate household; and if they had the resources, they could hire laborers to cultivate the communal lands, while they themselves engaged in trade or worked as migrant laborers in cities.
The sentence “If serfs … estate” (Highlighted) has which of the following functions in the passage?
I. It provides support for an argument presented in the preceding sentence.
II. It provides evidence that helps undermine a view introduced in the first sentence.
III. It raises a question that the succeeding sentence will resolve.
I. It provides support for an argument presented in the preceding sentence.
II. It provides evidence that helps undermine a view introduced in the first sentence.
III. It raises a question that the succeeding sentence will resolve.
Answer Choices
Sign in to reveal the correct answerA
I only
B
I and II only
C
I and III only
D
II and III only
E
I, II, and III
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Explanation
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Difficulty
705-805
Type
RC
Category