Question 75 Answer and Explanation _ACT June 2015 Form 73C English Section

Passage V

James Forten, Revolutionary Sailmaker

[1]

“I have been taken prisoner for the liberties of my country, and never will prove a traitor to her interests.’’ [A] Before entering a British-run prison during the American Revolution prisoner of war, James Forten, said these words as a patriotic rejection of his British captor’s offer to free him and educate him in England.

[2]

(62) He knew his chance of surviving imprisonment were slim. Forten also knew that if released at the war’s end or as part of an exchange, he, a free black man, might be captured and sold into slavery as he journeyed home to Philadelphia. Forten not only survived but became one of the most successful businessmen and ardent abolitionists in the United Stales. (65)

[3]

Forlen’s rise to prosperity began upon his return home when a sailmaker hired him to design, mend, and sew sails. Forten’s knowledge of ships, gained from his experiences as a sailor during the war, paid off. He rose to the position of foreman, and in 1798, Forten bought the sailmaker’s business. [B]

[4]

Employing thirty-eight workers, white and black, Forten held his employees to a high standard. Viewed as a professional academy, his business produced skilled apprentices who constructed sails for dozens of vessels. The bulk of Forten’s business records was probably lost after the business was sold. (68) Soon, many regarded Forten as the city’s premier sailmaker in Philadelphia.

[5]

A savvy businessman, Forten supported abolitionist causes. When the War of 1812 closed the port of Philadelphia, Forten used his profits in real estate and lending to support his sailmaking enterprise. When the need for smaller, quicker vessels changed sail design, he adapted. One thing Forten refused to do, however, was fit a slave ship with sails.

[6]

In fact, historians estimate that the sailmaker invested over greater than half his fortune in work to abolish slavery. [C] One of the wealthiest men in Philadelphia, Forten helped finance the Liberator, a powerful abolitionist newspaper. [D] The Revolutionary War veteran, who served in this war, believed that the United States owed all residents the right to freedom.

Questions 74 and 75 ask about the preceding passage as a whole.

75. Suppose the writer’s primary purpose had been to describe in detail the daily operations of a successful business in the newly formed United States. Would this essay accomplish that purpose?

A. Yes, because it describes how Forten became a successful businessman and how his business survived numerous challenges.

B. Yes, because it describes the historical significance of Forten’s business and how the business evolved.

C. No, because it focuses more on Forten as a patriot, businessman, and abolitionist than on the daily workings of his business.

D. No, because it focuses primarily on contrasting Forten’s work as an abolitionist with his work as a sailmaker.

Answer and Explanation

Your Answer is

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

The best answer is C because the focus of the essay is on Forten and the significant roles he played (patriot, businessman, abolitionist) and not on the more specific daily operations of his successful business.