Final answer:
The central idea of the passage is that funeral ceremonies in ancient Egypt varied based on social class, with the wealthy having more lavish mummification and burial practices compared to the poor. The correct option is c.
Step-by-step explanation:
The central idea of the passage is that funeral ceremonies differed based on social class in ancient Egypt. While all Egyptians had some type of funeral ceremony to aid in the transition to the world of the dead, the nature of these ceremonies varied significantly with social status. The poor might only manage to give used clothing to the embalmer, whereas the wealthy could afford an extravagant mummification process that included drying and wrapping the body in linen, placing it in wooden coffins, and sometimes involved the use of canopic jars for preserving organs and elaborate tombs as part of their burial practices.
The mummification process was integral to Egyptian belief in the afterlife, including the preservation of the Ka and Ba, spiritual elements essential for the deceased's journey into the next world. The differentiation in funerary practices highlighted important aspects of ancient Egyptian society, like the value put on social hierarchy and religious beliefs regarding the afterlife.
The correct option is c.