|Question 14Verbal

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Ships in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) were ranked based on military strength. The system considered the number of a ship's cannons and decks. "First-rate" was the highest ranking, and "sixth-rate" was the lowest ranking, followed by unranked ships. The size of a ship's crew was based on this ranking: first-rate ships had between 850 and 875 crewmen, while lower-ranked ships had fewer. Three of the ships in the British Royal Navy were the Waterloo (80 cannons and two decks), the Dreadnought (98 cannons and three decks), and the Howe (120 cannons and three decks). Among these, only the Howe was a first-rate ship. It can therefore be concluded that
Which choice most logically completes the text?
the Dreadnought had between 850 and 875 crewmen, but the Waterloo and the Howe each had fewer than 850 crewmen.
A
the Waterloo had a smaller crew than the Howe.
B
all ships with three decks were ranked as first-rate ships.
C
the Howe needed a crew larger than 875 people in order to operate efficiently.
D