Question

passage
the closest we have to a broken tulip
today is the group known as the
rembrandts—so named because
rembrandt painted some of the most
admired breaks of his time. but these
latter - day tulips, with their heavy
patterning of one or more contrasting
colors, look clumsy by comparison, as
if painted in haste with a thick brush.
to judge from the paintings we have
of the originals, the petals of broken
tulips could be as fine and intricate as
marbleized papers, the extravagant
swirls of color somehow managing to
seem both bold and delicate at once.
in the most striking examples—such

question 3 of 7
it can reasonably be inferred from the
passage that some seventeenth - century
tulip growers believed tulip breaks were
mainly caused by:

suppliers’ storage conditions.
diseased tulip bulbs.
certain growing techniques.
certain weather patterns.

Explanation:

The passage discusses "broken tulips" and their patterns. The question is about inferring the cause of tulip breaks. The option "diseased tulip bulbs" is correct because historically, "broken" tulip patterns (variegated petals) were later found to be caused by a virus (a disease) in the bulbs. The other options (suppliers’ storage, growing techniques, weather) don’t align with the historical context of tulip breaking being due to bulb-borne disease.

Answer:

B. diseased tulip bulbs (assuming the option order is: A. suppliers’ storage conditions, B. diseased tulip bulbs, C. certain growing techniques, D. certain weather patterns)