RC: Planter-legislators of the post

[gauravtyagigmat]

Planter-legislators of the post-Civil War southern
United States enacted crop lien laws stipulating that
those who advanced cash or supplies necessary to
plant a crop would receive, as security, a claim, or lien,
on the crop produced. In doing so, planters, most of
whom were former slaveholders, sought access to
credit from merchants and control over nominally free
laborers"”former slaves freed by the victory of the
northern Union over the southern Confederacy in the
United States Civil War. They hoped to reassure
merchants that despite the emancipation of the slaves,
planters would produce crops and pay debts. Planters
planned to use their supply credit to control their
workers, former slaves who were without money to
rent land or buy supplies. Planters imagined
continuation of the pre-Civil War economic hierarchy:
merchants supplying landlords, landlords supplying
laborers, and laborers producing crops from which
their scant wages and planters' profits would come,
allowing planters to repay advances. Lien laws
frequently had unintended consequences, however,
thwarting the planter fantasy of mastery without
slavery. The newly freed workers, seeking to become
self-employed tenant farmers rather than wage
laborers, made direct arrangements with merchants
for supplies. Lien laws, the centerpiece of a system
designed to create a dependent labor force, became
the means for workers, with alternative means of
supply advances, to escape that dependence.

Q.1Which of the following best expresses the central
idea of the passage?
(A) Planters in the post-Civil War southern United
States sought to reinstate the institution of
slavery.
(B) Through their decisions regarding supply credit,
merchants controlled post-Civil War agriculture.
(C) Lien laws helped to defeat the purpose for which
they were originally created.
(D) Although slavery had ended, the economic
hierarchy changed little in the post-Civil War
southern United States.
(E) Newly freed workers enacted lien laws to hasten
the downfall of the plantation economy.

I marked A ,thinking that planters are trying to control things and make profit
OA is C

Please explain what understanding I am lacking

[RonPurewal]

I marked A ,thinking that planters are trying to control things and make profit
OA is C

Please explain what understanding I am lacking

Choice A says that the planters wanted to bring back slavery. Your boldface words don't support that idea at all -- in fact, they don't even relate to that idea -- so I'm not sure what is attracting you to choice A.

Not only is choice A not the central idea, but, in fact, there's no evidence for choice A anywhere in the passage.

[gauravtyagigmat]

I marked A ,thinking that planters are trying to control things and make profit
OA is C

Please explain what understanding I am lacking

Choice A says that the planters wanted to bring back slavery. Your boldface words don't support that idea at all -- in fact, they don't even relate to that idea -- so I'm not sure what is attracting you to choice A.

Not only is choice A not the central idea, but, in fact, there's no evidence for choice A anywhere in the passage.

I thought by reinstating the slavery , they control the slaves and make profit

[RonPurewal]

Ok. Well, it appears you invented that yourself. It's not there.

In fact, about 2/3 of the way down, the passage states that the planters' "fantasy" -- i.e., what they really, really, really wanted -- was "mastery without slavery", which is pretty much exactly the opposite of choice A.

[750plus]

According to the passage, each of the following was a reason planters supported crop lien laws EXCEPT:

(A) Planters believed that lien laws would allow them to expand their landholdings.
(B) Planters expected that lien laws would give them control over former slaves.
(C) Planters anticipated that lien laws would help them retain access to merchant credit.
(D) Planters intended to use lien laws to create a dependent labor force.
(E) Planters saw lien laws as a way to maintain their traditional economic status.

In this question, I was down to option A and E but I couldn't verify both from the text. Please help me eliminate the incorrect choice.

OA to this question (according to GMATPrep) is A

[RonPurewal]

Planters imagined continuation of the pre-Civil War economic hierarchy

'continuation of ... hierarchy' = everyone still has the same status.

[750plus]

Planters imagined continuation of the pre-Civil War economic hierarchy

'continuation of ... hierarchy' = everyone still has the same status.

Yes. Understood.

Many Thanks!

[RonPurewal]

you're welcome.

[garimag807]

This is so minute
I tend to miss them

[RonPurewal]

This is so minute
I tend to miss them

to what are you responding?