Question

someone who never opens an umbrella inside, avoids walking under ladders at all costs, and always crosses their fingers when they make a wish can be called superstitious. superstitious people think or do things that are based on fear or belief rather than facts or evidence. for example, they might think that a wish is more likely to come true if they cross their fingers while making it, even though theres no evidence to suggest thats true.
superstitions have been around for thousands of years, according to historians, and for emperors in ancient china, they were no laughing matter. in fact, chinese emperors were guided and influenced by their beliefs in omens. good omens could mean that the emperor had the \mandate of heaven\ to be the sole ruler of china. bad omens could mean the opposite—that the emperor had lost the mandate of heaven—and that, the chinese emperors believed, would be disastrous.
so, the emperors and their government officials paid close attention to birds, meteorites, and strange storms, because they believed that any of these could be a harbinger that bad luck was imminent, or that the deities they believed in were upset. after seeing a bad omen, theyd try to do something to reverse it, like releasing all the prisoners from jail.
people were always vigilant for auspicious omens. if officials told an emperor that they had seen or captured a dragon, that was a very good omen,
because it was supposed to be a sign that a wise person was on the throne.
it was very easy for people to fabricate bad omens to tell the emperor. if an emperor heard reports of a serious omen, he would have to act so much

question 5
in what way does the article contrast emperors of the xia dynasty with emperors of the shang dynasty?
a. xia dynasty emperors ruled during a period of bountiful harvests, but shang dynasty emperors ruled during a time of famine.
b. xia dynasty emperors ruled during a time of famine, but shang dynasty emperors ruled during a period of bountiful harvests.
c. xia dynasty emperors traveled to one of the tallest mountains each season to perform ceremonies, but shang dynasty emperors performed them in a temple.
d. xia dynasty emperors performed ceremonies in a temple each season, but shang dynasty emperors traveled to one of the tallest mountains to perform them.

Explanation:

The question is about contrasting emperors of the Shang Dynasty with those of the Xia Dynasty. Option B states that Xia Dynasty emperors ruled during a time of famine, while Shang Dynasty emperors ruled during a period of bountiful harvests. This directly addresses the contrast in the context of the article's discussion on omens and governance (though the article itself isn't fully visible, the options’ content is clear for analysis).

Answer:

B. Xia Dynasty emperors ruled during a time of famine, but Shang Dynasty emperors ruled during a period of bountiful harvests.