Read the excerpt from an 1893 book describing the settlement of Australia and New Zealand.

"It is not necessary here to follow the complicated history of New Zealand in later years, which unfortunately comprises [includes] several bloody wars with the Maoris. The present prosperous condition of this great colony is well known, but it has not been effected without the rapid diminution [decrease in number] of the natives, who have met with the fate of most aborigines in contact with Europeans, especially when the former were naturally bold and warlike."

Which statement is best supported by the excerpt?

a. The British attempt to wipe out the Maori was successful.

b. The Maori suffered a loss of population and decline in power.

c. The British had little trouble conquering and colonizing New Zealand.

d. The Maori population gradually declined after Britain colonized New Zealand.

b. The Maori suffered a loss of population and decline in power.

Explanation:

Early European explorers - including Abel Tasman (who arrived in 1642) and Captain James Cook (who visited for the first time in 1769) - reported encounters with Maori. These early accounts described the Maori as a race of fierce and proud warriors. Intertribal wars often occurred during this period, with the victors enslaving or even eating the losers. During this period, the acquisition of muskets by the tribes in contact with the Europeans caused an imbalance of power among the Maori tribes and began a period of bloody, intertribal war, known as the Musket War, which resulted in the effective extermination of various tribes and the migration of several others out of their traditional territories. European diseases also killed a large number of Maori during this period (the exact number is unknown).