Question

read the excerpt from the interview with e.y. (yip) harburg.
i was relieved when the crash came. i was released. being in business was something i detested. when i found that i could sell a song or a poem, i became me, i became alive. other people didnt see it that way. they were throwing themselves out of windows.
harburg was relieved when the crash occurred because
it allowed him to become a man of leisure who did not have to work anymore.
it forced him out of his comfort zone and into a brand new environment.
it was easier to write songs about the depression than about prosperity.
it gave him the opportunity to develop and profit from his creativity.

Explanation:

Harburg states that when he found he could sell a song or poem (creative work) after the crash, he "became me, I became alive". This indicates the crash gave him a chance to use his creativity (song/poem - creative output) and profit (by selling) from it. The other options are incorrect:

• He didn't become a man of leisure (he started selling creative works - working in a creative sense).
• There's no mention of comfort zone in the text.
• The text isn't about ease of writing about depression vs prosperity.

Answer:

It gave him the opportunity to develop and profit from his creativity.