The founders of the US most likely took ideas from the Romans because their system allowed for the citizens to have a voice in who ran their empire. Considering that the US just broke away from Great Britain when starting a new country, they wanted to ensure that their citizens had a voice. When the Americans were colonists, they had little/no influence on government policies and laws.
The Romans established a republic for very similar reasons, as they had a tyrannical king who they overthrew. With a new start, the Romans created a government where people got to elect political officials, there were term limits for the two consuls, and the Senate (comprising of 300 people) had the chance to make laws. The United States probably saw this as a highly effective system in which multiple voices could be heard, so they based our foundation on the ones created by the Romans.
The settlers were unable and unwilling to plant crops because it was too cold and too much work for an unskilled worker. Without these successful crops, the colonists survived by trading with the Native Americans.
If there was a graph, it would be more helpful, but I believe the answer would be A. If you could provide the graph, I would correct myself if I am mistaken.
