GRE Reading Comprehension

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Source: NO4

By the time the American colonists took up arms against Great Britain in order to secure their independence, the institution of Black slavery was deeply entrenched. But the contradiction inherent in this situation was, for many, a source of constant embarrassment. "It always appeared a most iniquitous scheme to me," Abigail Adams wrote her husband in 1774, "to fight ourselves for what we are daily robbing and plundering from those who have as good a right to freedom as we have."

Many Americans besides Abigail Adams were struck by the inconsistency of their stand during the War of Independence, and they were not averse to making moves to emancipate the slaves. Quakers and other religious groups organized antislavery societies, while numerous individuals manumitted their slaves. In fact, within several years of the end of the War of Independence, most of the Eastern states had made provisions for the gradual emancipation of slaves.

Question List: 1 2 3 4

Which of the following best statesthe central idea of the passage?

  • A The War of Independence produced among many Black Americans a heightened consciousness of the inequities in A merican society.
  • B The War of Independence strengthened the bonds of slavery of many Black Americans while intensifying their desire to be free.
  • C The War of Independence exposed to many Americans the contradiction of slavery in a country seeking its freedom and resulted in efforts to resolve that contradiction.
  • D The War of Independence provoked strong criticisms by many Americans of the institution of slavery, but produced little substantive action against it.
  • E The War of Independence renewed the efforts of many American groups toward achieving Black emancipation.

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