Which of the following sentences would best support one of the main ideas presented in the first paragraph?

Answer choice (A) is correct because it supports the idea that Douglass had to learn to read and write in “bits and pieces” whenever he was able to. Answer choice (B) might be tempting, but the first paragraph makes no claims about the popularity of Douglass’s book. This detail might fit in the paragraph, but it doesn’t directly support any of the claims made by it. Answer choice (D) is similarly a statement that wouldn’t be out of place in the first paragraph, but it also doesn’t directly support any of the claims made in the paragraph. Answer choice (C) goes against the writer’s point that Douglass’ narrative was the first, so it would detract from the writer’s purpose.