Read this excerpt:
A wave of mass hysteria seized thousands of radio
listeners between 8:15 and 9:30 o'clock last night when a
broadcast of a dramatization of H. G. Wells's fantasy, "The
War of the Worlds," led thousands to believe that an
interplanetary conflict had started with invading Martians
spreading wide death and destruction in New Jersey and
New York.
- New York Times, "Radio Listeners in Panic," October 31,
1938
Why does the New York Times article "Radio Listeners in Panic" include so
much information in the first sentence?
A. To make readers relive the event and become frightened all over
again
B. To make fun of the people who had believed the Earth was being
attacked
C. To provide readers with necessary background knowledge about
the event
D. To show support for Orson Welles's broadcast after the resulting
panic