Big Book - Test 11 - Section 3 - Long Passage

Hello!

I need help in Q24 and Q27 of the big book - test 11 - section 3 long passage.

Q24. I eliminated option 2, because of the line ‘the second is far more problematic‘ in line 22. By this line the author is disagreeing with Davis. Therefore, ended up selecting option C (Only III). Can you please help me understand why option 2 is also correct?

Q27. I selected E as the option for this question as the American colonies were influenced by British as well as Puritan colonies (mentioned in passage 3). Can you please help me with the correct answer?
Option B makes a bit of sense where the American colonies (including southern ones) were similar to each other more than puritan colonies.

Thank You for your help in advance!