How find the main idea

Read the passage from sugar changed the world. sugar is different from honey. it offers a stronger sweet flavor, and like steel or plastic, it had to be invented. in the age of sugar, europeans bought a product made thousands of miles away that was less expensive than the honey from down the road. that was possible only because sugar set people in motion all across the world—millions of them as slaves, in chains; a few in search of their fortunes. a perfect taste made possible by the most brutal labor: that is the dark story of sugar. how does the comparison of sugar to honey reveal the authors’ purpose? it persuades readers that sugar tastes better than honey. it informs readers that there is a connection between slavery and sugar. it informs readers that honey had a major impact on society. it persuades readers that sugar is as important an invention as steel.

Explain what the text says explicitly. reread paragraph 2 of "civil peace." what does this paragraph reveal about jonathan and his family's circumstances? cite textual evidence to support your response.

Read this excerpt from loom and spindle. one of the first strikes of cotton-factory operatives that ever took place in this country was that in lowell, in october, 1836. when it was announced that the wages were to be cut down, great indignation was felt, and it was decided to strike, en masse. this was done. the mills were shut down, and the girls went in procession from their several corporations to the "grove" on chapel hill, and listened to "incendiary" speeches from early labor reformers. what can be inferred about the time period of the excerpt? check all that apply. a. factory workers felt frustrated by the lowering of their wages. b. workers were willing to show their displeasure through strikes. c. early efforts at strikes became chaotic and violent. d. the lowell girls were forbidden to voice objections. e. the lowell strike was followed by other labor strikes.