Final answer:
The statement that the Cratchit family was grateful for their meal despite having very little is true, reflecting the themes of gratitude and contentment in contrast to wealth without happiness. Exercise 7.3.1 also correctly asserts that colonial opposition centered not on taxation itself, but on the lack of representation and say in how taxes were spent.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks whether it is true that the Cratchit family was grateful for their meal despite having very little. This statement is true. The Cratchit family, from Charles Dickens' novel "A Christmas Carol," is portrayed as being poor but very appreciative and content with what they have, including their Christmas meal. Their situation is a stark contrast to the story's protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, who, despite his wealth, lacks happiness and gratitude before his transformation.
Exercise 7.3.1 posits that colonists were not necessarily opposed to taxation itself, but to how the tax money was utilized. This is true. Many American colonists believed that taxes imposed by the British government were unjust because they were not represented in Parliament, coining the phrase "no taxation without representation." They were not against taxes per se, but the way those taxes were levied and spent without their input.
As for the provided passages from various exercises, they bring context to the times of the American Revolution and the sentiments of people from different walks of life during and after that period. They serve as examples to show contrasting perspectives and hardships faced by individuals in a historical context.