Question

review the details below.

• during the middle ages, a hosts generosity when providing spices to a guest at a meal was a signal of wealth.
• only wealthy european families could afford cinnamon in the middle ages.
• arabian traders transported only limited quantities of cinnamon in the middle ages, making it expensive in europe.

choose the best topic sentence to introduce a paragraph containing these details.
arabian traders sold cinnamon to europeans who used it to add flavor to their foods.
since foreign spices were difficult to obtain, they became a status symbol for affluent european families.
european explorers wanted to find cheaper ways to acquire cinnamon instead of relying on merchants who controlled the market.

Explanation:

The details mention that spices (specifically cinnamon) were a sign of wealth (host's generosity with spices as a wealth signal, only wealthy families could afford cinnamon), and the reason was their difficulty in obtaining (Arabian traders transporting limited quantities making it expensive). The second option encompasses both the difficulty - to - obtain aspect (foreign spices were difficult to obtain) and the status - symbol (status symbol for affluent families) which aligns with all the given details. The first option only talks about trading and flavor - adding, not covering the wealth - status part. The third option is about European explorers' desire for cheaper cinnamon, which is not mentioned in the given details.

Answer:

Since foreign spices were difficult to obtain, they became a status symbol for affluent European families.