Here's why:
* Prepositional phrases start with a preposition (like "of," "on," "in," "with," etc.) and end with a noun or pronoun (the object of the preposition).
* "Of dried meat, vegetables, and flour" is a noun phrase that acts as the object of the preposition "supplies." It doesn't function as a prepositional phrase on its own.
Let's break down the sentence:
* Settlers: The subject of the sentence.
* rationed: The verb.
* their supplies: The direct object of the verb "rationed."
* of dried meat, vegetables, and flour: This noun phrase describes the kind of supplies the settlers rationed.
To create a prepositional phrase in this sentence, you could add a preposition before "supplies":
* Settlers rationed their supplies in the wagon. ("in the wagon" is a prepositional phrase)
* Settlers rationed their supplies for the long journey. ("for the long journey" is a prepositional phrase)