As ever, sugar work was brutally hard. the workers woke early, and for the first few months they were “seasoned”—learning the numbing work of hoeing or weeding or loading the barges with cut cane. after they were broken in, they might take on other tasks or, if they were lucky, get a place at the factory. the indians’ contracts called for seven hours’ work for about twenty-four cents a day. during the first few months, though, eight cents a week was deducted for food rations. and no matter what the words said on a piece of paper, sugar workers did not work just seven hours. more often than not, they labored as long as there was light, in the broiling heat. and though they might not be shackled or whipped like slaves, their lives were completely controlled by the terrifying overseers. –sugar changed the world, marc aronson and marina budhos which statement best explains how the evidence supports the central idea that working conditions were similar to slavery? the evidence explains that indian laborers worked in both fields and factories. the evidence indicates that indian laborers had contracts and were paid for their work. the evidence shows that indian laborers found the work very challenging and often quit. the evidence details hard work and the indian laborers’ lack of control over their lives.

Read the passage. excerpt from "why equal pay is worth fighting for" by senator elizabeth warren, april 17, 2014 i honestly can't believe that we're still arguing over equal pay in 2014. when i started teaching elementary school after college, the public school district didn't hide the fact that it had two pay scales: one for men and one for women. women have made incredible strides since then. but 40 years later, we're still debating equal pay for equal work. women today still earn only 77 cents for every dollar a man earns, and they're taking a hit in nearly every occupation. bloomberg analyzed census data and found that median earnings for women were lower than those for men in 264 of 265 major occupation categories. in 99.6 percent of occupations, men get paid more than women. that's not an accident; that's discrimination. the effects of this discrimination are real, and they are long lasting. today, more young women go to college than men, but unequal pay makes it harder for them to pay back student loans. pay inequality also means a tougher retirement for women. . for middle-class families today, it usually takes two incomes to get by, and many families depend as much on mom's salary as they do on dad's, if not more. women are the main breadwinners, or joint breadwinners, in two-thirds of the families across the country, and pay discrimination makes it that much harder for these families to stay afloat. women are ready to fight back against pay discrimination, but it's not easy. today, a woman can get fired for asking the guy across the hall how much money he makes. here in the senate, sen. barbara mikulski (d-md.) introduced the paycheck fairness act to give women the tools to combat wage discrimination. it would ensure that salary differences have something to do with the actual job that they are doing, and not just because they are women. senator warren states that the effects of pay discrimination are long-lasting. is this a valid argument supported by accurate evidence? no; warren weakens her point by claiming that the paycheck fairness act would "give women the tools to combat wage discrimination." yes; warren supports her point by noting, "for middle-class families today, it usually takes two incomes to get by." yes; warren supports her point by noting, "pay inequality also means a tougher retirement for women." no; warren weakens her point by noting, "today, a woman can get fired for asking the guy across the hall how much money he makes."