Question

in a story, a comedian faces the problem that people no longer laugh at his jokes. which paragraph would best set the stage for the story?
he told three of his favorite jokes and got some small laughs. he knew if he just kept going, he would win over the crowd. so, he decided to tell his favorite joke, the one about the time he camped in central park. but, when he delivered the punch line, he only heard polite laughing, not the belly laughs he had expected.
he told his three favorite jokes and then continued with some new material. he always found new material helped liven up his act. the old material got stale, both for him and the audience. fresh material kept the night interesting and made him feel like he was breaking new ground.
his first three jokes didn’t get any laughs. so, he pulled out an old tried and true joke, the one about the moose. this joke always got them laughing. but, when he delivered the punch line, there was only silence. he squinted out into the crowd and was met with silent stares. near the back, someone coughed.
he told three jokes, just to get the audience warmed up. he would build toward the truly funny material, which he always put in the middle of his set. but you had to gauge your audience. sometimes an audience wanted the best material first. you had to keep on your toes, or you would never make it in this business.

Explanation:

To determine which paragraph shows the comedian facing the problem of no laughs, we analyze each:

1. First paragraph: Gets small laughs, not the problem stage.
2. Second paragraph: Tells favorite joke, only polite laughs (not belly laughs), still not full silence.
3. Third paragraph: First three jokes get no laughs, crowd silent (stares, cough), this is the problem stage.
4. Fourth paragraph: Describes his routine to warm up, not the problem.

The third paragraph (starting with "His first three jokes...") shows the crowd silent, no laughs, matching the problem.

Answer:

The paragraph starting with "His first three jokes didn't get any laughs. So, he pulled out an old tried and true joke, the one about the moose. This joke always got them laughing. But, when he delivered the punch line, there was only silence. He squinted out into the crowd and was met with silent stares. Near the back, someone coughed."