Quote:
[...]In fact, despite the efforts of the various colonial legislatures, white servant women continued to bear children by African American fathers through the late seventeenth century and well into the eighteenth century. It appears that such births were the primary source of the increase in the free African American population for this period. [...]
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A) No free African Americans in the American colonies were the offspring of white slave owners.
B) Some colonial legislatures passed laws to prevent interbreeding between white colonists and African Americans.
C) White servants were not as numerous as African American slaves in early America.
D) Most African Americans in the South were born into slavery.
E) Records exist to document all births of free African Americans in colonial America.
Here is MGMAT answer which I find questionable:
(B) CORRECT. The second paragraph begins with "despite the efforts of the various colonial legislatures, white servant women continued to bear children by African American fathers through the late seventeenth century and well into the eighteenth century." This implies that the legislatures took action to prevent these births.
But when you read it correctly, it talks about "In fact, despite the efforts of the various colonial legislatures, white servant women continued to bear children by African American fathers", we know nothing about "Some colonial legislatures passed laws to prevent interbreeding between white colonists and African Americans". I do not consider a white servant woman as a colonist.
What do you think?
PS: I didn't provide the full passage to avoid any copyright problem. I can post it if it's really necessary, but the other section of the passage don't help except to eliminate the other answer choices which in such case makes them all incorrect. If you have access to MGMAT test #3, it's called "Slaves - Inference".
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