Final answer:
The devshirme system in the Ottoman Empire involved conscripting Christian boys to become elite soldiers and government officials, known as Janissaries, who were fiercely loyal to the sultan.
Step-by-step explanation:
The devshirme system within the Ottoman Empire was a system of conscription where Christian boys were recruited for state and military service. Conceived as a form of taxation on Christian territories under Ottoman control, agents would select boys, typically aged between eight and ten, to serve the Ottoman state. They would convert to Islam, learn Turkish, and receive an education aimed at integrating them into the empire's administration or its military forces.
Janissaries were the primary soldier produced from this system. These elite corps of soldiers served as the sultan's bodyguards and household guards. The Janissaries were trained to be extremely loyal and were dependent on the sultan for their status and privileges, which effectively cut them off from any biological family ties and ensured their loyalty to the sultan rather than to lineage or locale.
The correct answer to the student's question is Option B) It was a system of conscription of Christian boys; it produced elite soldiers and government officials.