Question

elizabethan etiquette
modern americans sometimes express questions about how people could possibly have entertained themselves before electronic devices such as television, video games, and the internet. if you happened to be a lord or lady in the court of queen elizabeth i, one way that you would occupy your time might be learning the plethora of etiquette rules so complex that one would have to memorize them as people today might memorize the lyrics to their favorite songs.
the elizabethan era, the years between 1558–1603 when elizabeth i reigned as queen of england, is known for its emphasis on courtly manners. the most esteemed book on the subject was castiglione’s the book of the courtier, also referred to as the courtier. the courtier was translated from its original italian into english in 1561, and its rules were carefully followed by the highest - ranking courtiers of the day.
the rules of etiquette governed behavior in many aspects of life. among the most interesting were those pertaining to greeting people and conducting oneself while dining. the rules for greeting differed depending on the gender of the person initiating the greeting and the social status of the person being greeted. for example, if a gentlemen were greeting someone of higher status than himself, he would “doff,” or remove his hat (often called a bonnet), with his right hand and then bend and kiss his own left hand. he would have to take care to keep the inside of the hat facing his own knee, because showing your sweaty hatband was considered offensive. he would then make a bow, or “reverence,” the depth of which servant, who would rinse it out, making it ready for the next guest.
based on the explicit and implicit information from the passage, the reader can infer that
elizabethan dinners were less common than modern dinners.
tableware was rarer in elizabethan times than it is today.
the elizabethans liked sharing more than modern people do.
guests were happier in elizabethan times than they are now.

Explanation:

The passage mentions a servant rinsing out tableware for the next guest, implying reuse due to scarcity. The other options lack support: no info on dinner frequency (first option), sharing preference (third), or guest happiness (fourth). So the inference about tableware rarity is valid.

Answer:

tableware was rarer in Elizabethan times than it is today.