Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. A. British and colonial merchants prospered because of a demand in the colonies for increasing amounts of consumer goods made in Britain. B. Both the colonists and the British increasingly consumed clothing and other household items imported from foreign countries by colonial merchants. C. The wealth gained from exporting their products enabled the colonists to buy increasing quantities of consumer goods brought into North America by British and colonial merchants. D. As merchants increased their wealth, they began to widen the range of products they exported from North America to Britain and the British colonies elsewhere.