Ireland’s population decreased dramatically throughout the nineteenth century. Census figures show an Irish population of 8.2 million in 1841, 6.6 million a decade later, and only 4.7 million in 1891. It is estimated that as many as 4.5 million Irish arrived in America between 1820 and 1930.

Question

Ireland’s population decreased dramatically throughout the nineteenth century. Census figures show an Irish population of 8.2 million in 1841, 6.6 million a decade later, and only 4.7 million in 1891. It is estimated that as many as 4.5 million Irish arrived in America between 1820 and 1930.

Between 1820 and 1860, the Irish constituted over one third of all immigrants to the United States. In the 1840s, they comprised nearly half of all immigrants to this nation.

Which factor most influenced the 1840s immigration described in the excerpt?

A. the start of industrialization in France
B. a plant disease that spread across Europe
C. the passage of the Johnson–Reed Act in America
D. a civil war in the United Kingdom

Answer 1

The factor that most influenced the 1840s immigration described in the excerpt is B. a plant disease that spread across Europe. This refers to the Great Famine in Ireland, often known as the Irish Potato Famine, which was caused by a devastating potato blight that led to widespread crop failure and famine in Ireland.