Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions based on the passage:
An exemplum is a story used to illustrate a broader moral or thematic point. It was often employed within religious sermons. Popular during the Middle Ages, this device featured prominently in collections of tales. These tales—both historical and legendary—were compiled for preachers to use in their teachings. In The Pardoner's Tale by Chaucer, the author uses an exemplum to convey the message "Greed is the root of all evil." He tells the story of three drunken revelers who set out to find and confront Death. Instead, they discover a treasure. In their greed, they kill one another to gain sole possession of the gold. By doing so, they meet Death in the end.
The term "exemplum," once tied to religious discourse, now applies more broadly to stories used in formal, nonreligious exhortations. For instance, in The Nun's Priest's Tale, Chaucer's Chanticleer employs this approach and presents at least ten exempla. He uses them to try to convince his skeptical wife, Dame Pertelote, that bad dreams can signal disaster. His efforts ultimately fail. Still, the use of exempla remains a compelling means of argumentation and moral instruction.
Which of the following historical periods saw the greatest popularity of the exemplum?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
Middle Ages, when religious sermons dominated culture
Explanation
The passage explicitly states that the exemplum was "Popular during the Middle Ages, this device featured prominently in collections of tales." It further explains that these stories were originally tied directly to religious discourse and were compiled specifically for preachers to use within their religious sermons. This directly matches option 2.
The other choices introduce historical periods—such as the Renaissance period, the Victorian society, and the Enlightenment era—that are not mentioned anywhere in the text as the timeline where the exemplum achieved its greatest popularity.
Key Point
Reading comprehension questions require picking the choice that directly aligns with explicit timeline statements in the text. Since the passage specifically links the height of the device's popularity to the Middle Ages and religious preaching, any options introducing other historical eras are factually incorrect based on the text.