Read the passage and then answer the question.
In the third century BCE, the ancient Egyptians began growing a new type of wheat. It required more water than other types of wheat. To irrigate the new wheat, Egyptians built new canals to draw more water from the Nile River. This allowed them to successfully grow the new wheat and also charge a higher price for it.
Why would the Egyptians have charged a higher price for the new type of wheat?
There was a surplus of wheat.
Demand for wheat became lower.
Demand for water became higher.
The new canals increased production cost.
The Egyptians would have charged a higher price for the new type of wheat because the new canals increased production cost.
The Egyptians would have charged a higher price for the new type of wheat because the new wheat required more water than other types of wheat, which resulted in higher production costs due to the construction of new canals to draw more water from the Nile River. Therefore, the correct answer is: The new canals increased production cost.
To answer the given question, we need to consider the information provided in the passage. It states that the ancient Egyptians began growing a new type of wheat that required more water than other types. As a result, they built new canals to draw more water from the Nile River to irrigate the new wheat.
Based on this, we can reason that the Egyptians would have charged a higher price for the new type of wheat because of an increase in production costs. The construction of new canals and the requirement of more water would have likely incurred additional expenses, such as labor and resources, which would have influenced the cost of growing the new wheat. In order to cover these increased production costs and make a profit, the Egyptians would have charged a higher price for the wheat.
Therefore, the answer is: The new canals increased production cost.