Read the passage, then answer the question that follows.
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?
a) the evidence explains that indian laborers worked in both fields and factories.
b)the evidence indicates that indian laborers had contracts and were paid for their work.
c) the evidence shows that indian laborers found the work very challenging and often quit.
d) the evidence details hard work and the indian laborers’ lack of control over their lives.