Which Statement Best Describes Punishments in the Slave South

Which statement best describes punishments in the slave South?

A) Southern slave codes protected slaves from excessive beatings.
B) Slaveholders rarely beat their slaves, not out of kindness, but because it would interfere with production.
C) Masters regularly beat their slaves, sometimes even when it meant a serious financial loss.
D) Masters on large plantations were brutal; on the smaller farms, where there were fewer slaves, slaveholders treated their slaves much better.