According to Mann (author), which of the following is TRUE about European and
African diets before
the Columbian Exchange?
Secondary Source
Before the potato on average, European peasants ate less per day than
hunting and gathering
societies in Africa. In the century after the potato's
introduction Europe's
numbers (population) roughly doubled. The Irish,
who ate more potatoes
than anyone else had the biggest boom [from]
1.5 million in the early 1600s to
about 8.5 million two centuries
later...The
increase occurred...because more children
survived,...potatoes prevented death from famine...[and] better
nourished
people were less likely to die of infectious disease.
From 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, by Charles
C.
Mann, 2011
a) Europeans consumed more food than Africans.
b) Europeans consumed less food than Africans.
c) Europeans and Africans consumed about the same amount of food.
d) Europeans had a more varied diet than Africans.