Question

identifying the central idea
the italian merchants sometimes sailed across the mediterranean sea to syria, where they could buy black pepper that had been grown on the southwest coast of india. the tiny dried black peppercorns were the perfect item to trade, because the small ships of the time could carry enough to make a nice profit. from india the pepper was shipped across to arabia, where camel caravans would carry it all the way to syria. the italians could purchase enough pepper in syria to carry with them to the next champagne fair. every count whose cook added the bite of costly black pepper to his food knew he was getting a taste of far distant lands. as late as 1300, jean de joieville, a french writer who had actually lived in the muslim world, still believed that these spices came from the outer edges of the garden of eden, located somewhere along the river nile. there, people “cast their nets outspread into the river, at night; and when morning comes, they find in their nets such goods as... ginger,
what is the central idea of the passage?
○ in the middle ages, spices that are now ordinary were rare imports from faraway places.
○ the spices at the champagne fair were from the middle east, where they were used in cooking.
○ pepper was highly regarded in europe, so merchants demanded more and more of it.
○ the champagne fairs relied on a vast trade network that drove up the prices of new and rare goods.

Explanation:

• Analizamos cada opción:
• Opción 1: El pasaje describe cómo en la Edad Media, especias como la pimienta (ahora común) eran importadas de lugares lejanos (India, Arabia, Siria) y eran raras. El texto menciona el viaje de la pimienta desde la India hasta Europa, y cómo eran consideradas como provenientes de tierras lejanas. Esta opción abarca bien el tema general.
• Opción 2: El pasaje no se centra en que las especias de la feria de Champaña fueran del Medio Oriente o su uso en cocina, sino en el comercio y la rareza de las especias.
• Opción 3: El pasaje no se centra en la demanda de pimienta por su alto aprecio, sino en su origen y rareza como importación.
• Opción 4: El pasaje no habla sobre cómo las ferias de Champaña impulsaron los precios, sino sobre el comercio de especias y su origen.

Answer:

A. In the Middle Ages, spices that are now ordinary were rare imports from faraway places.