Question

read the excerpt from \how the grimm brothers saved the fairy tale.\

turning to the tales of the first edition, a reader might notice that many of the stories such as \the hand with the knife,\ \how some children played at slaughtering,\ and \the children of famine,\ have nothing to do with fairies or happy endings. instead, these are stark narratives about brutal living conditions in the nineteenth century. for instance, \the children of famine\ begins this way:

once upon a time there was a woman with two daughters, and they had become so poor that they no longer had even a piece of bread to put in their mouths. their hunger became so great that their mother became unhinged and desperate. indeed, she said to her children, \ive got to kill you so that i can get something to eat.\

how does the author support the main idea in this paragraph?

with a claim that the narratives show brutal living conditions
with three titles of stories from the brothers grimm
with an example that shows why the stories are fit for children
with an example that shows a specific brutal living condition

Explanation:

Analyze the main idea of the paragraph

Using the Grimms Fairy Tales Evolution and Grimm Brothers Analysis knowledge points, we identify that the main idea of the paragraph is that many of the original Grimm tales were stark, realistic narratives about brutal nineteenth-century living conditions rather than magical stories with happy endings.

Evaluate how the author supports this main idea

The author supports this claim by providing a direct, specific example from one of the tales, "The Children of Famine," which depicts extreme poverty, hunger, and a mother driven to desperation. This concrete example directly illustrates a specific brutal living condition.

Assess the given multiple-choice options

• Option 1: "with a claim that the narratives show brutal living conditions" — This is the main idea itself, not how the author supports it.
• Option 2: "with three titles of stories from the brothers Grimm" — While three titles are listed, they introduce the topic rather than serving as the primary support for the detailed depiction of brutal conditions.
• Option 3: "with an example that shows why the stories are fit for children" — The excerpt shows the opposite; the stories are dark and brutal.
• Option 4: "with an example that shows a specific brutal living condition" — This is correct, as the quote from "The Children of Famine" provides a specific example of extreme starvation and desperation.

Answer:

• with a claim that the narratives show brutal living conditions
• with three titles of stories from the brothers Grimm
• with an example that shows why the stories are fit for children
• with an example that shows a specific brutal living condition (Correct answer)