A historian recorded the populations of four colonial American cities in 1750: Boston, 16,000; Philadelphia, 14,000; New York, 13,000; Charleston, 8,000. The historian noted that despite Boston's reputation as the largest colonial city, no single city dominated the colonial urban landscape. To support this point, the historian observed ______
Which choice most logically completes the text using the data above?
- A
the total combined population of about 51,000.
- Bcheck_circle
the relatively small gap (only 3,000) between Boston, Philadelphia, and New York.
- C
Boston's population of 16,000.
- D
Charleston's population of 8,000.
Explanation
"No single city dominated" requires evidence that the top cities were close in size. Choice B captures this by noting the small spread between Boston, Philadelphia, and New York, supporting the claim that no city dominated.