Question

Select the correct answer.

Which statement best describes Thomas Paine's argument in this excerpt from Common Sense?
I have heard it asserted by some, that as America hath flourished under her former connection with Great Britain that the same connection is
necessary towards her future happiness, and will always have the same effect. Nothing can be more fallacious than this kind of argument. We
may as well assert that because a child has thrived upon milk that it is never to have meat, or that the first twenty years of our lives is to become
a precedent for the next twenty. But even this is admitting more than is true, for I answer roundly, that America would have flourished as much,
and probably much more, had no European power had any thing to do with her. The commerce, by which she hath enriched herself, are the
necessaries of life, and will always have a market while eating is the custom of Europe.
OA. He shows that while America earlier flourished because of Britain, it faces a bleak future if British rule continues.
OB. He uses anecdotal evidence to imply that America faces a bleak future if British rule continues.
O C. He refutes the idea that America depends on Britain, using the opinion that America's trade has a secure future.
COD. He implies that America's connection to Britain had prevented it from engaging in trade with European countries.

Answer 1

The correct answer is C. He refutes the idea that America depends on Britain, using the opinion that America's trade has a secure future.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is C. He refutes the idea that America depends on Britain, using the opinion that America's trade has a secure future. In this excerpt, Thomas Paine argues that the belief that America must remain connected to Britain for its future happiness and prosperity is fallacious. He compares this argument to saying that a child should only drink milk and not eat meat, or that the first twenty years of our lives should determine the next twenty years.

Paine asserts that America could have flourished even more without any European power's involvement, and that American commerce, which includes the necessities of life, will always have a market as long as people continue to eat. This argument shows that Paine refutes the idea that America is dependent on Britain and highlights the potential for America to thrive on its own.