Question

porcelain originated in china around 2,000 years ago, but its production remained a mystery to the western world for centuries. during the ming dynasty (1368 - 1644 ad), the chinese began exporting porcelain objects to europe. captivated by the delicate beauty, translucence, and strength of the \white gold,\ the europeans became obsessed with discovering the secret to its creation. it wasnt until the early 18th century that the alchemist johann friedrich böttger unlocked the secret, producing the first hard - paste porcelain manufactured outside of china in his factory in meissen, germany. which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole? choose 1 answer: it describes the person responsible for introducing porcelain to europe. it emphasizes the longstanding european desire to create porcelain themselves. it identifies when and where porcelain eventually began to be produced in europe. it suggests that europeans eventually innovated on the older chinese techniques of porcelain production.

Explanation:

The underlined sentence states that in the early 18th century, Johann Friedrich Böttger produced the first hard - paste porcelain outside of China in his factory in Meissen, Germany. This clearly identifies the time (early 18th century) and place (Meissen, Germany) where porcelain production began in Europe.

• Option A: The text says the Chinese began exporting porcelain to Europe during the Ming Dynasty, not the alchemist. So this option is incorrect.
• Option B: While Europeans were obsessed with discovering the secret, the underlined sentence is more about the actual production start in Europe (time and place) rather than just emphasizing the desire. So this option is not the best fit.
• Option D: There is no mention in the underlined sentence about innovation on Chinese techniques. So this option is incorrect.

Answer:

C. It identifies when and where porcelain eventually began to be produced in Europe.