<h2><u><em>Answer:</em></u></h2><h2><u><em>The British government did take some steps to help the poor. Before the famine, in 1838, the government had passed a Poor Law Act. It established 130 workhouses for the poor around the country, funded by taxes collected from local landlords and farmers. Conditions in the workhouses were grim.</em></u></h2><h2><u><em>Explanation:</em></u></h2>
