NutMeg: Second para performs which function

[pratapravi.singh19]

Commonplace items sometimes play surprising roles in world development. For example, though most people today associate nutmeg with simple baked goods, this common spice once altered the course of political history. For centuries, the nutmeg tree grew only in the Banda Islands, a small chain in the southwest Pacific. Locals harvested the aromatic nuts of the tree and sold them to traders. Eventually these nuts, from which the spice is made, ended up as a luxury item in the European market, via Venetian spice merchants. Eager to establish a monopoly over this valuable spice, the Dutch attacked the Bandas, subjugating the native people in a mostly successful attempt to control the nutmeg trade.

However, one island in the Banda chain remained in the hands of the British and was the object of much conflict between the Netherlands and England. After many battles, the British offered to cede control of the island in exchange for New Amsterdam, a Dutch outpost on the east coast of North America. At the time, the Dutch, inveterate traders, were more interested in the spice trade than in the mercantile value of New Amsterdam and so accepted the offer. In 1667, the Treaty of Breda gave the Dutch complete control of the Banda Islands, and thus of the nutmeg trade, and gave the British New Amsterdam, which they promptly renamed New York.

The second paragraph performs which of the following functions in the passage?

A: It offers specific information to complete the logic of the author's claims.
B: It summarizes and evaluates the evidence given thus far.
C: It presents the author's main point to explain a unique situation.
D: It cites a particular case to demonstrate the importance of historical change.
E: It discusses the necessary outcome of the author's assertions.

The OA is A.
I got this incorrect, choose D. It's so close. Also thought B to be correct.

Please clarify how to eliminate such choices. It becomes difficult to find out the keyword to eliminate. Also, please clarify when to use 'summarize'.
In a way, the first para does introduce a topic in the first line & provides specific example in support. The second para discusses it further and then describes what happened finally. Isn't this summarization?

[jnelson0612]

Commonplace items sometimes play surprising roles in world development. For example, though most people today associate nutmeg with simple baked goods, this common spice once altered the course of political history. For centuries, the nutmeg tree grew only in the Banda Islands, a small chain in the southwest Pacific. Locals harvested the aromatic nuts of the tree and sold them to traders. Eventually these nuts, from which the spice is made, ended up as a luxury item in the European market, via Venetian spice merchants. Eager to establish a monopoly over this valuable spice, the Dutch attacked the Bandas, subjugating the native people in a mostly successful attempt to control the nutmeg trade.

However, one island in the Banda chain remained in the hands of the British and was the object of much conflict between the Netherlands and England. After many battles, the British offered to cede control of the island in exchange for New Amsterdam, a Dutch outpost on the east coast of North America. At the time, the Dutch, inveterate traders, were more interested in the spice trade than in the mercantile value of New Amsterdam and so accepted the offer. In 1667, the Treaty of Breda gave the Dutch complete control of the Banda Islands, and thus of the nutmeg trade, and gave the British New Amsterdam, which they promptly renamed New York.

The second paragraph performs which of the following functions in the passage?

A: It offers specific information to complete the logic of the author's claims.
B: It summarizes and evaluates the evidence given thus far.
C: It presents the author's main point to explain a unique situation.
D: It cites a particular case to demonstrate the importance of historical change.
E: It discusses the necessary outcome of the author's assertions.

The OA is A.
I got this incorrect, choose D. It's so close. Also thought B to be correct.

Please clarify how to eliminate such choices. It becomes difficult to find out the keyword to eliminate. Also, please clarify when to use 'summarize'.
In a way, the first para does introduce a topic in the first line & provides specific example in support. The second para discusses it further and then describes what happened finally. Isn't this summarization?

The best way to eliminate is to go word by word and look for which one is *more wrong*.

A) has nothing that is wrong.
B) "summarizes and evaluates evidence"--no. This is just telling us about history, which isn't really "evidence". "Evidence" has to deal more with research studies and factual findings. There is also no "evaluation" of evidence.
D) starts out okay, but says "demonstrate the importance of historical change. Is that really what the passage is about? No! It's about how common items can have major influence on world events.

To answer your question, "summarize" isn't necessarily wrong here, but the rest of answer choice B) doesn't work well and thus it must be crossed off. Remember, on reading comp, every word of an answer choice must be right or the answer is wrong.

[tanyatomar]

another question from same passage:

Q.Which of the following if tru most strengthen the claim that new Amsterdam wud have remained a dutch posssession if not for the conflict over nutmeg?
a. Attempts to cultivate nutmeg trees outside of the banda islands had failed.
b. Few people lived in N AMsterdam before it was cede to British.
d. New AMsterdam served as trading center for furs exported to europe.

OA mentioned in the document i have is D
i chose A..

please explain y D is answer... and not A. i think if they cant cultivate nutmeg anywhere else gives them all the more reasons to fight over it... i think New Ansterdam served as trading cetner for furs is irrelevant...

Thanks
Tanya

[jnelson0612]

another question from same passage:

Q.Which of the following if tru most strengthen the claim that new Amsterdam wud have remained a dutch posssession if not for the conflict over nutmeg?
a. Attempts to cultivate nutmeg trees outside of the banda islands had failed.
b. Few people lived in N AMsterdam before it was cede to British.
d. New AMsterdam served as trading center for furs exported to europe.

OA mentioned in the document i have is D
i chose A..

please explain y D is answer... and not A. i think if they cant cultivate nutmeg anywhere else gives them all the more reasons to fight over it... i think New Ansterdam served as trading cetner for furs is irrelevant...

Thanks
Tanya

Take a look at this thread which addresses your question: nutmeg-trade-t7573.html