Read the excerpt from "Benin Plaque: The Oba with
Europeans."
Which central idea is best supported by the details in the
excerpt?
The Portuguese galleons, cutting out all the middlemen
and able to carry much bigger cargoes, offered a totally
new kind of trading opportunity. They and their Dutch and
English competitors, who followed later in the sixteenth
century, carried gold and ivory to Europe and in return
brought commodities from all over the world that were
greatly valued by the Oba's court, including coral from the
Mediterranean, cowry shells from the Indian Ocean to
serve as money, cloth from the Far East and, from Europe
itself, larger quantities of brass than had ever before
reached West Africa. This was the raw material from which
the Benin plaques were made.
The Benin people had access to the riches of the world
through trade.
The members of the Oba's court were richer than other
Benin people.
European traders treated the Benin people unfairly in
trade agreements
The Benin plaques were highly valued by Portuguese
traders.