Answer: The missing passage to this question is "Sugar is different from honey. It offers a stronger sweet flavor, and like steel or plastic, it had to be invented. In the Age of Sugar, Europeans bought a product made thousands of miles away that was less expensive than the honey from down the road. That was possible only because sugar set people in motion all across the world—millions of them as slaves, in chains; a few in search of their fortunes. A perfect taste made possible by the most brutal labor: That is the dark story of sugar."
<em>The details in this passage support the author's purpose is " to help inform the readers about the reasons why sugar was so inexpensive and why the sugar industry was dependant on the use of slavery.</em>
Explanation:
In the book, the process of how sugar was made by slaves is described in full detail. The slaves were abused and were chained together so that the European men could make a large profit without paying for the labor. Honey was, and is still expensive, but was a natural product while sugar had to be invented and processed to be eaten and used for medicinal purposes. In those times, only the wealthy were able to buy this type processed sugar. Many slaves died while working on the sugar plantations, they were beaten if they did not work fast. They also worked all day and way into the night without breaks. Many men became millionaires off the blood and sweat of slaves.
This passage is from the book "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science." This book was written both Marina Budhos and Marc Aronson in the year 2010.
