Part 1: Text Details and Context Clues in an Informational Text — Quiz
Question 18 • English Language Arts 12
Read the excerpt from "Benin Plaque: The Oba with Europeans.” The Portuguese galleons, cutting out all the middlemen and able to carry much bigger cargoes, offered a totally new kind of trading opportunity. They and their Dutch and English competitors, who followed later in the sixteenth century, carried gold and ivory to Europe and in return brought commodities from all over the world that were greatly valued by the Oba’s court, including coral from the Mediterranean, cowry shells from the Indian Ocean to serve as money, cloth from the Far East and, from Europe itself, larger quantities of brass than had ever before reached West Africa. This was the raw material from which the Benin plaques were made. Which central idea is best supported by the details in the excerpt?
Answer
A
European traders treated the Benin people unfairly in trade agreements.
B
The Benin people had access to the riches of the world through trade.
C
The members of the Oba’s court were richer than other Benin people.
D
The Benin plaques were highly valued by Portuguese traders.
Explanation
The excerpt lists goods brought to the Oba’s court from many parts of the world, including Mediterranean coral, Indian Ocean cowry shells, Far Eastern cloth, and European brass. These examples support the idea that trade gave the Benin people access to goods from around the world. The passage does not say that the plaques were especially valued by Portuguese traders or compare the court’s wealth with that of other Benin people.
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