Question

read the excerpt from \harrison bergeron.\

he tried to think a little about the ballerinas. they werent really very good-no better than anybody else would have been, anyway. they were burdened with sash-weights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in. george was toying with the vague notion that maybe dancers shouldnt be handicapped.

this excerpt best illustrates kurt vonneguts message that

everyone in a society should have equal talent and beauty.
advances in technology should be closely monitored.
television viewing limits individual thought and creativity.
absolute equality prevents personal freedoms of expression.

Explanation:

Analyze the constraints placed on the dancers

The excerpt describes ballerinas who are "burdened with sash-weights and bags of birdshot" and whose faces are "masked." These physical handicaps are intentionally imposed to prevent anyone from displaying superior grace, talent, or beauty, thereby enforcing a state of artificial equality.

Connect the constraints to the author's message

By forcing talented individuals to wear heavy weights and masks, the society suppresses natural talent and aesthetic beauty. This demonstrates how a forced, absolute equality strips individuals of their unique abilities and restricts their personal freedom to express themselves through dance and beauty.

Evaluate the given options

• Option 1 suggests everyone should have equal talent, which is the society's flawed goal, not Vonnegut's message.
• Option 2 discusses technology, which is not the focus of this passage.
• Option 3 mentions television viewing, which is irrelevant to the description of the dancers' physical handicaps.
• Option 4 correctly identifies that enforcing absolute equality restricts personal freedom and individual expression.

Answer:

• everyone in a society should have equal talent and beauty.
• advances in technology should be closely monitored.
• television viewing limits individual thought and creativity.
• (D) absolute equality prevents personal freedoms of expression. (Correct answer)