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:
a it describes the person responsible for introducing porcelain to europe.
b it emphasizes the longstanding european desire to create porcelain themselves.
c it identifies when and where porcelain eventually began to be produced in europe.
d it suggests that europeans eventually innovated on the older chinese techniques of porcelain production.

Explanation:

• Option A: The underlined sentence is about producing porcelain in Europe, not introducing it to Europe. The Chinese exported porcelain to Europe earlier, so A is incorrect.
• Option B: The sentence focuses on the production of porcelain in Europe, not emphasizing the European desire to create it (the desire was already established before this sentence). So B is incorrect.
• Option C: The underlined sentence states "early 18th century" (when) and "Meissen, Germany" (where) porcelain was first produced outside China in Europe. This matches the function of identifying when and where European porcelain production began.
• Option D: The sentence only says the first hard - paste porcelain was produced outside China, not that Europeans innovated on Chinese techniques. So D is incorrect.

Answer:

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