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Information and IdeasHardDetail: what the census revealed

Information and Ideas practice question

The 1851 census lists the mill village's 400 residents by occupation. Nearly every adult is a weaver, a spinner, or a dyer, as expected. What surprised the historian was the column for birthplace: two thirds of the adults had been born more than a hundred miles away, in three particular villages in the far south, suggesting that the mill's owner had recruited entire communities and moved them north.

According to the text, what did the historian find surprising in the census?

  1. A. That most of the adults had been born far away, in a few specific villages.Correct
  2. B. That most residents worked in the mill.
  3. C. That the village had 400 residents.
  4. D. That the mill's owner appeared in the census.

Answer: A. That most of the adults had been born far away, in a few specific villages.

The birthplace column.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. That most residents worked in the mill.
That was expected.
C. That the village had 400 residents.
A count, not the surprise.
D. That the mill's owner appeared in the census.
Not mentioned.

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