16Hit1600
Craft and StructureHardTwo texts on why a village shrank

Craft and Structure practice question

Text 1 The village's population fell by half between 1850 and 1900 because the new railway bypassed it, leaving it cut off from trade. Text 2 The railway bypassed a dozen villages in the district, and most of them grew. What this village lost in 1850 was its mill, which had employed a third of its households.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to Text 1's explanation?

  1. A. By arguing that the railway cannot explain the decline, since bypassed villages elsewhere grew, and by offering the mill's closure instead.Correct
  2. B. By agreeing that the railway caused the decline.
  3. C. By denying that the population fell.
  4. D. By claiming that the railway ran through the village.

Answer: A. By arguing that the railway cannot explain the decline, since bypassed villages elsewhere grew, and by offering the mill's closure instead.

A comparison that undercuts the railway, and a rival cause.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. By agreeing that the railway caused the decline.
Text 2 rejects the railway explanation.
C. By denying that the population fell.
The fall is not disputed.
D. By claiming that the railway ran through the village.
Text 2 accepts that the railway bypassed it.

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