A map shows the locations of mill towns east of the Mississippi river. There are two mill towns marked in Massachusetts, and one marked in each of the following states: New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, and Mississippi.

Use the map to answer the question.
Based on the information on the map, what can you infer about industry in the United States?
A. Manufacturing was a key part of the economy in the Northeast.
B. Agriculture was the major industry in the South.
C. Mills in the Northeast had to be close to ports to make it easier to transport factory-made goods.
D. Population levels in the Midwest made it difficult to support the amount of labor required to industrialize.

The correct answer is A (Manufacturing was a key part of the economy in the Northeast)

Which choice makes sense to you?

Based on the information on the map, you can infer that option A. Manufacturing was a key part of the economy in the Northeast.

The presence of multiple mill towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and other states in the Northeast suggests that manufacturing, particularly in the form of mill towns, was significant in this region.

To answer this question, we need to analyze the locations of the mill towns on the map. From the information provided, we can see that there are two mill towns marked in Massachusetts, indicating a concentration of mill towns in the Northeast region. On the other hand, there is only one mill town marked in each of the other states mentioned.

Based on this information, we can infer that manufacturing was a key part of the economy in the Northeast (option A). The presence of multiple mill towns in Massachusetts suggests a significant industrial activity in that area.

However, we cannot infer that agriculture was the major industry in the South (option B) based solely on the map. The map does not provide enough information about the South or the distribution of agricultural activities.

Similarly, we cannot infer that mills in the Northeast had to be close to ports (option C) or that population levels in the Midwest made it difficult to support industrialization (option D) solely based on the map.

Therefore, the most accurate inference we can make from the information on the map is that manufacturing was a key part of the economy in the Northeast (option A).