Explanation
In this question, we will rely not on our memory, which is
fragile, but on the passage. Choice (A) is referenced in paragraphs three and
four, so it's not the answer. Price gaps prior to 1820 are cited in lines 5-10,
so (B) is not the answer. Furthermore, since they "began to draw closer" (line
10) in 1820, we also are given data for this prices after 1820, and (C) is not
the answer. That leaves us with (D) and (E). The fact that "commodity price
information is not universally available" (lines 32-33) may hint that we don't
have the percentage of commodities that were imported either. Indeed, the logic
of the final paragraph suggests that we need to infer those figures and don't
have them directly. So (D) may be our answer. Finally, we are told "world
economy grew roughly twice as quickly in the twentieth century as in the
nineteenth century" (lines 46-48), so this growth rate is used as evidence, and
(E) is not the answer.
The correct answer is (D).
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