Final answer:
The Pardoner keeps up his extravagant lifestyle by telling stories to make people buy pardons, similar to the practice of selling indulgences criticized by Martin Luther. The correct option is c.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Pardoner keeps up his extravagant lifestyle by telling stories to make people buy pardons. In the Canterbury Tales, the Pardoner admits that he manipulates people's emotions and uses his skills as a storyteller to deceive them into purchasing pardons. He tells tales that evoke fear and guilt, convincing people that they need to buy indulgences to gain forgiveness for their sins.
This is similar to the practice of selling indulgences that Martin Luther criticized in his Ninety-five Theses. Indulgences were certificates sold by the Church, promising forgiveness of sins and release from punishment in purgatory. Like the Pardoner, the Church used fear and guilt to convince people to buy indulgences.
The correct option is c.