Question

text-dependent questions
for the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. part a: which of the following statements best describes a central idea of the text?

a. in the early 1500s, a strange illness caused many townspeople to experience muscle spasms that made them look like they were dancing.
b. in the early 1500s, a group of townspeople began dancing for no apparent reason and, even more troubling, they could not stop.
c. only until very recently, the dancing plague of 1518 was considered a myth, one with very little evidence to support its existence.
d. in medieval france, it was customary for dancing festivals to last days, even weeks, often leading to exhaustion and occasionally death.

1. part b: which of the following quotes best supports the answer to part a?

a. \in july of 1518, in full view of her neighbors, frau troffea began to violently dance in the streets of the city of strasbourg, france.... she appeared unable to stop herself from her frenzy.\ (paragraph 2)
b. \for some inexplicable reason, these men believed that the cure for the dancing was more dancing, so they erected a wooden stage for the dancers and musicians were called in.\ (paragraph 4)
c. \this all sounds like some archaic bit of folklore, but the dancing plague of 1518 is clearly chronicled in medical, civic, and religious notes of the time.\ (paragraph 5)
d. \eating the infected rye can lead to seizures, although the movements of strasbourgs afflicted looked much more like traditional dancing than seizures of any sort.\ (paragraph 8)

1. part a: what is the effect of the word choice \frenzy\ in paragraph 2?

a. it suggests that something is done spontaneously, or suddenly without reason.
b. it implies a wildness and lack of control to ones movements and energy.
c. it implies a great deal of emotion, most likely joy or excitement.
d. it suggests a lack of awareness or caring about how one looks.

1. part b: which of the following quotes best supports the answer to part a?

a. \for no apparent reason, she just started to dance.\ (paragraph 1)
b. \in full view of her neighbors\ (paragraph 2)
c. \her face betrayed no expression of joy\ (paragraph 2)
d. \she appeared unable to stop herself\ (paragraph 2)

Explanation:

Part A (Question 1)

To determine the central idea, we analyze each option:

• Option A focuses on a "strange illness" causing muscle spasms, but the text is about the Dancing Plague, not just an illness.
• Option B states that a group began dancing without reason and couldn't stop, which aligns with the Dancing Plague of 1518's core event.
• Option C claims it was considered a myth until recently, but the text shows it was well - chronicled, so this is incorrect.
• Option D talks about medieval French dancing festivals, which is not the central idea of the text about the 1518 dancing plague.

We need a quote that supports the central idea from Part A (people dancing without reason and not being able to stop).

• Option A describes Frau Troffea starting to dance violently and being unable to stop, which directly supports the idea of uncontrolled, unprovoked dancing.
• Option B is about the cure (more dancing) and not the central idea of the dancing plague's occurrence.
• Option C is about the plague being well - chronicled, not about the dancing itself.
• Option D is about the cause (infected rye) and the nature of the movements, not the central idea of unprovoked, unstoppable dancing.

The word "frenzy" in the context of Frau Troffea's dancing.

• Option A: "Frenzy" doesn't imply spontaneity or lack of reason in the sense of the option.
• Option B: "Frenzy" implies a wild, uncontrolled state of movements and energy, which matches how it's used to describe her dancing (violent, unable to stop).
• Option C: "Frenzy" is not about lack of awareness of one's looks.
• Option D: "Frenzy" is not about lack of emotion.

Answer:

B. In the early 1500s, a group of townspeople began dancing for no apparent reason and, even more troubling, they could not stop.

Part B (Question 2)