Historian: The vast majority of scholars studying the American Civil War regard Confederate generals as superior to their Union counterparts. They also acknowledge that the Confederate soldier was, on average, more committed to the cause and, therefore, willing to fight harder than the Union soldier. However, most of these same scholars agree with my contention that when the Civil War began in 1861, it was already true that the Confederacy could not prevail without the intervention of a major foreign power such as Great Britain or France.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the historian's contention?

(A) Both the Confederate and Union troops started the war using similar single-shot muzzle-loading guns to which bayonets could be attached.

(B) The Confederacy had a greater proportion of officers who had attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and had served with distinction in the Mexican War.

(C) The Union had four times the total population of the Confederacy and most of the industrial manufacturing in North America.

(D) The Confederacy won several important victories early in the war and earned the respect of foreign leaders.

(E) By the end of the war in 1865, many Union soldiers were armed with the new Spencer repeating rifles that fired seven shots before reloading; the Confederate army continued to rely on slower, single-shot weapons for its soldiers.



OA C

Source: Veritas Prep