William was the youngest of 18 children, yet he never knew some of his older siblings. Why?
A) They were sold into slavery before he was born.
B) They lived with other family members who were closer to a school.
C) They ran away before his parents moved North.
D) They died when a terrible illness swept through the land.
The correct answer is D) They died when a terrible illness swept through the land.
Explanation: The question implies that William did not know some of his older siblings due to their absence. The most plausible reason among the options is that they died from an illness, which would explain why he never met them. The other options suggest circumstances that might keep siblings apart, but they wouldn’t necessarily result in William never knowing them at all.