Question

Read the following paragraph from the section "Beyond Offering A Cup Of Sugar. " To Marc Dunkelman, author of "The Vanishing Neighbor," these neighborly responses to the coronavirus crisis are notable in their contrast to normal times. Most people's acquaintances resemble a model like the rings of Saturn, with the innermost bands representing the most intimate connections and each successive loop becoming less intimate. Over the past 50 years, people have invested more time on the innermost ring of friends and family. People have also invested more time in the outermost rings with online acquaintances they don't know personally but with whom they share common interests such as sports, hobbies or politics. Which idea is BEST supported by this paragraph? Group of answer choices A. People need to help vulnerable members within their community during times of global crisis. B The number of intimate friends that most people have has decreased in the last 50 years. C The different levels of social circles have increased as people have become more connected. D Technology has changed the way in which people interact within certain social circles

Answer 1

The idea that is best supported by this paragraph is:

C) The different levels of social circles have increased as people have become more connected.

The paragraph discusses how people's social connections have changed over the past 50 years. It explains that most people's acquaintances can be compared to the rings of Saturn, with the innermost bands representing the most intimate connections and each successive loop becoming less intimate. This suggests that people have different levels or layers of social circles, ranging from close friends and family in the innermost ring to online acquaintances with shared interests in the outermost rings. The paragraph implies that as people have become more connected through technology, they have invested more time in both the innermost and outermost rings of their social circles, resulting in an increase in the different levels of social connections. Therefore, the idea that the different levels of social circles have increased as people have become more connected is best supported by this paragraph.