Question

review the details below. during the middle ages, a hosts generosity when providing spices to a guest at a meal was a signal of wealth. only wealthy european families could afford cinnamon in the middle ages. arabian traders transported only limited quantities of cinnamon in the middle ages, making it expensive in europe. choose the best topic sentence to introduce a paragraph containing these details. since foreign spices were difficult to obtain, they became a status symbol for affluent european families. arabian traders sold cinnamon to europeans who used it to add flavor to their foods. european explorers wanted to find cheaper ways to acquire cinnamon instead of relying on merchants who controlled the market.

Explanation:

The details given are about how spices (specifically cinnamon) were hard to obtain in the Middle Ages, leading to them being a wealth/status symbol. The first option connects the difficulty of obtaining foreign spices (like cinnamon, as Arabian traders transported limited quantities) to them being a status symbol for wealthy European families, which aligns with the details (host's generosity with spices as wealth signal, only wealthy could afford cinnamon, limited transport making it expensive). The second option focuses on using cinnamon for flavor, which isn't the main point of the details. The third option is about European explorers wanting cheaper acquisition, which isn't mentioned in the details. So the first option is the best topic sentence.

Answer:

Since foreign spices were difficult to obtain, they became a status symbol for affluent European families.