Question

The Industrial Revolution Living in the new industrial cities often meant settling for poor housing, sometimes with little heat and no sanitation. Factories offered jobs, but the pay was low, the hours were long, and the work was back-breaking and often dangerous. Many jobs involved rigid and monotonous routines amid smoke and deafening noise, moreover, supervisors closely monitored their workers and tolerated no complaint. In short, companies treated workers especially immigrants, who spoke little English-as little more than muscle power. Because they needed wages to live, and because they were not organized to demand better working conditions, workers had little choice but to take whatever work they could find. Most of [the immigrant workers] who came to the United States to pursue their dreams found that life was far from easy. (McWhorter. K. T. (2016). In concert: Reading and writing. Boston, MA Pearson)

Which sentence in the passage presents the stated main idea?

A) "Most of the immigrant workers who came to the United States to pursue their dreams found that life was far from easy."
B) "Because they needed wages to live, and because they were not organized to demand better working conditions, workers had little choice but to take whatever work they could find."
C) "Living in the new industrial cities often meant settling for poor housing, sometimes with little heat and no sanitation."

Answer 1

The sentence in option B presents the stated main idea that workers in industrial cities had little choice but to accept low-paying and hazardous jobs due to the need for wages and lack of organization to demand better working conditions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentence in the passage that presents the stated main idea is option B: "Because they needed wages to live, and because they were not organized to demand better working conditions, workers had little choice but to take whatever work they could find." This sentence highlights the main idea that workers in the new industrial cities were compelled to accept low-paying and hazardous jobs due to their need for wages and lack of organization to demand better working conditions.