Question

4054va v. english 12 sem a english language arts 12
part 3: text structure in an informational text
time of great discoveries, these wordsmiths are the spokesmen for the mass of newly educated townsmen who have never really known before what it is to have a voice. and
shakespeare above all others meets the challenge of the age by holding up a mirror to mankind and showing people what they really are—and not what they think they are in
the eyes of god. this is something truly original, and one of the reasons the rabble in the theater yard does fall quiet, and strains to hear the words of the great soliloquies and
speeches; and, in so doing, becomes a little more like us.
what was new and original about elizabethan drama?
the wealthy hired
performers to act in plays
that were free to the
public.
plays did not exist before
shakespeare and others
built theaters and wrote
plays.
the plays incorporated
important religious topics
for people to learn about.
playwrights explored the
human condition and
provided a voice for the
common people.
submit
copyright: reprinted with the permission of touchstone, a division of simon & schuster, inc. from the time travelrs guide to medieval england: a handbook for
visitors to the fourteenth century by ian mortimer. copyright © 2008 by ian mortimer. originally published in great britain by bodley head, a division of random house, uk
all rights reserved.
copyright © by imagine learning. all rights reserved. no part of this work may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means or stored in a database or any
retrieval system, without the prior written permission of imagine learning.

Explanation:

The text states that Elizabethan drama, especially Shakespeare's works, was original as it held up a mirror to mankind (showing people what they really are), and the wordsmiths (playwrights) were spokesmen for the newly educated townsmen (giving a voice to the common people). The first option about the wealthy hiring performers is not the key original aspect. The second option that plays didn't exist before is incorrect as there were plays before Shakespeare (though his were more prominent). The third option about religious topics - the text focuses more on showing human nature rather than just religious topics. The fourth option aligns with the text's description of playwrights exploring the human condition (showing people what they are) and providing a voice for the common people (newly educated townsmen having a voice).

Answer:

Playwrights explored the human condition and provided a voice for the common people.