Passage Summary: In the 1790s, France couldn't get the solid graphite they needed for pencils from Britain because they were at war, so they researched and invented a way to make leads from powdered graphite instead.

Reasoning: Early pencil leads required solid graphite from Britain; France was at war with Britain in the 1790s and lost access to that graphite; consequently, France funded research that led to modern powdered graphite leads.

Analysis: For this 'Most Strongly Supported' task, we must treat the statements as facts and see what they imply when combined. The stimulus sets up a clear cause-and-effect relationship: a lack of access to a specific raw material due to war led to the development of a new technology. Look for an answer choice that reflects this historical necessity. We are not looking for a bold claim, but rather a modest synthesis of how the war influenced French pencil manufacturing.