Final answer:
Claims that cider was safer than drinking water and that Johnny Appleseed's story was best known after he died are supported by evidence in the passage.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks us to identify which two claims in the passage are supported by evidence.
Claims (1) that cider was safer than drinking water and (5) Johnny Appleseed's story was best known after he died, are supported by evidence. The passage notes that the Mayflower carried barrels of beer and, by the 1830s, Americans consumed large amounts of liquor, which implies that alcohol was an essential part of the diet, likely because it was safer than water which could be polluted. There isn't direct evidence in the passage provided for claim (2) about John Chapman's appearance or claim (4) concerning his birthplace in 1774. Moreover, the activities of Lind and the sailors' improvement after consuming cider (claim (1)) help validate the notion that cider may have been considered a beneficial drink in comparison to water, which might not have been reliably clean. The passage about listening to stories and the reference to old wives' tales when everyone gathered together suggests a posthumous increase in fascination with Johnny Appleseed's lore, substantiating claim (5).
Lastly, while (3) It can be difficult to separate fact from fiction does not directly relate to John Chapman or cider, it is a claim generally supported by historical analysis and is conclusively proven within the thematic exploration of histories and narratives. However, based on the explicit evidence in the passages provided, claims 1 and 5 appear most supported.