Question

in the 5th century bce, the buddha died. after his death, members of the monastic community spread buddhism to new people and passed down his teachings orally, or by spoken word. around 50 bce, there was a severe famine, or shortage of food. in parts of south asia, many monks were dying. why did some monks begin writing down the buddhas teachings around 50 bce? they wanted to be like other religious groups that had their holy writings written down in books. the monastic community was worried that the buddha might die during the famine, so they wrote down his words. the monastic community wanted only people who could read and write to become buddhists. they worried that the oral tradition of the buddha’s teachings might be forgotten if too many monks died.

Explanation:

The passage states that around 50 BCE, a severe famine killed many monks in South Asia, and the Buddha's teachings were previously passed down only orally. The monks would have feared that with the loss of so many members who held the oral teachings, the teachings could be lost entirely. The other options are incorrect: the text does not mention emulating other religious groups, the Buddha had already died centuries earlier, and there is no indication they wanted to restrict Buddhism to literate people.

Answer:

They worried that the oral tradition of the Buddha's teachings might be forgotten if too many monks died.