After the egyptians crushed cut cane and captured the juice, they boiled and strained the liquid, let it settle, then strained it again. the cane juice was now poured into molds with holes in the bottom, so that all the liquid could drain out, leaving only a powder. that powder was then mixed with milk and boiled again. after one round of these steps, the process was repeated all over again. as a result of all this effort and care, egypt was known for the “whitest and purest” sugar.

–sugar changed the world,
marc aronson and marina budhos

what is the central idea of the passage?
egyptians boiled and strained liquid to form sugar.
egyptians had a special process for refining white sugar.
egyptians were hard workers who overcame many challenges.
egyptians crushed sugar cane and used the juice as a sweetener.

Read this excerpt from i never had it made. "it's all that ought to count," he replied. "but it isn't. maybe one of these days it will be all that counts. that is one of the reasons i've got you here, robinson. if you're a good enough man, we can make this a start in the right direction. but let me tell you, it's going to take an awful lot of courage." he was back to the crossroads question that made me start to get angry minutes earlier. he asked it slowly and with great care. "have you got the guts to play the game no matter what happens? " "i think i can play the game, mr. rickey," i said. the next few minutes were tough. branch rickey had to make absolutely sure that i knew what i would face. beanballs would be thrown at me. i would be called the kind of names which would hurt and infuriate any man. i would be physically attacked. could i take all of this and control my temper, remain steadfastly loyal to our ultimate aim? which is the central idea of this excerpt?