Question

porcelain originated in china around 2,000 years ago, but its production remained a mystery to the western world for centuries. during the ming dynasty (1368 - 1644 ad), the chinese began exporting porcelain objects to europe. captivated by the delicate beauty, translucence, and strength of the \white gold,\ the europeans became obsessed with discovering the secret to its creation. it wasnt until the early 18th century that the alchemist johann friedrich böttger unlocked the secret, producing the first hard - paste porcelain manufactured outside of china in his factory in meißen, germany.
which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
choose 1 answer
a it describes the person responsible for introducing porcelain to europe.
b it emphasizes the longstanding european desire to create porcelain themselves.
c it identifies when and where porcelain eventually began to be produced in europe.
d it suggests that europeans eventually innovated on the older chinese techniques of porcelain production.

Explanation:

The under - lined sentence states that it wasn't until the early 18th century that an alchemist unlocked the secret and produced the first hard - paste porcelain outside of China in Germany. This shows when and where porcelain production started in Europe. Option A is incorrect as it doesn't mention the person introducing porcelain to Europe. Option B is about the desire to create, while the sentence is about actual production start. Option D about innovation on Chinese techniques is not the main point of this sentence.

Answer:

C. It identifies when and where porcelain eventually began to be produced in Europe.