medium · SAT Reading & Writing

In his study of Renaissance Venice, historian Thomas Madden examines how the city-state managed its maritime empire through a network of strategically located colonies.

Madden argues that these colonies were not merely outposts for trade but served as vital naval bases that allowed Venice to protect its merchant ships from piracy. For instance, he points to the fortress of Candia on Crete, which served as a primary shipyard and supply hub for the Venetian fleet for nearly four centuries. Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence as a whole?

It suggests that piracy was actually beneficial to the Venetian economy by increasing demand for naval protection.
It argues that Crete was the only island in the Mediterranean that Venice was able to control successfully.
It provides a specific example of a colony that performed the naval and logistics functions described by the author.
It details the specific types of goods that were traded between Venice and its colonies in the Aegean Sea.

More SAT Reading & Writing practice