Question

only five minutes until showtime, people!\ called mrs. kseniya to the crowd of students rushing around backstage.
\great,\ nancee muttered under her breath. \i only have a million things to do before then.\ her friend tremina patted her shoulder reassuringly.
\the costumes look great, nan,\ tremina told her. \after you finish hemming my skirt, everything will be perfect.\
\perfect? hardly!\ exclaimed nancee. \it takes at least ten minutes for me to hem a skirt, and you are expected on the stage in five minutes.\
\three minutes,\ sandomir corrected her as he raced past. he and dmitry were attempting to assemble the backdrop before the curtain rose, and they both looked as stressed as nancee felt.
\forget it,\ nancee said. \ill just tape the hem on your skirt, and it will have to be good enough. i never should have agreed to design the costumes for this production.\
\im worried about the show, too, but you dont hear me complaining,\ said tremina. \it seems to me that your pessimism is more of a problem than our tight deadline.\ nancee quickly taped the hem of the costume and thrust it at tremina, who hurried to get dressed.
\places, everyone,\ announced mrs. kseniya. tremina began walking toward the stage when the heel of her shoe caught on the taped hem. she tripped and knocked over several of her fellow actors. one of the students fell forward into the backdrop, which then crashed to the floor. the curtain lifted at that moment, and the audience roared with laughter at the disastrous scene.
\maybe i should change careers from actor to comedian,\
6
how does the setting affect the theme of the passage?
a. the talented actors onstage make tremina feel insecure.
b. the tension and haste backstage cause nancee to act rashly.
c. the hazardous stage area endangers the lives of several students.
d. the competition between actors causes nancee to feel jealous.

Explanation:

• Option A: The passage focuses on Nancee, not Tremina feeling insecure due to onstage actors. The backstage setting is key, not onstage actors. Eliminate A.
• Option B: The backstage is tense and hasty (e.g., "Only five minutes until showtime", Nancee has little time to hem the skirt). Nancee acts rashly by taping the hem instead of properly hemming it, leading to the accident. This matches how the setting (backstage tension/haste) affects the theme (Nancee's rash action).
• Option C: The stage area isn't described as hazardous, and no lives are endangered. The incident is a comedic accident, not a life - threatening hazard. Eliminate C.
• Option D: There's no mention of competition between actors causing Nancee's jealousy. The issue is the time pressure backstage, not competition. Eliminate D.

Answer:

B. The tension and haste backstage cause Nancee to act rashly.