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Read the passage from The American Plague.
No one would ever know precisely how many Philadelphians died of yellow fever in 1793. Many of those who traditionally kept such count—ministers, sextons, and city officials—had either fled the city or been ill themselves. The best estimates put the number of victims at between four and five thousand men, women, and children. What was clear to all was that life would never be the same. The fear had gone too deep, the losses were all too real and personal.
Which statement summarizes the central idea of this passage?
The yellow fever epidemic had lasting consequences for the city.
Ministers, sextons, and city officials should have stayed in the city.
The 1793 yellow fever epidemic was the deadliest plague the city had faced.
Men, women, and children were afraid to return to the city after the plague.
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Answer 1

Answer: The yellow fever epidemic had lasting consequences for the city.

Explanation: This is the best answer because the passage is about the deadly and lasting consequences that yellow fever had: the author mentions that an approximate of five thousand people were victims of it, many died, including people like ministers, sextons, and city officials; and those who did not die, had to flee the city. Such mortality rate and mass departure must have changed completely the way people lived back then, it should have been catastrophic for the city, as the author concludes: The fear had gone too deep, the losses were all too real and personal.

Answer 2

The statement which summarizes the central idea of this passage is:

A. The yellow fever epidemic had lasting consequences for the city.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage begins by saying the number of people who died of the fever were in the thousands - 4 or 5. That number may very well have been bigger but it was difficult to keep count at that time. Then it moves on to say that one thing was clear to all, independently on how accurate that number was: that things would never be the same. The epidemic would have lasting consequences, then. The losses, the fear, all of it was "too real and personal". It would forever change people's lives.