Question

During the early seventeenth century, London theater companies increasingly shifted their performances from large, open-air public playhouses to smaller, indoor private theaters. While outdoor stages relied on the unpredictable glare of afternoon sunlight, indoor venues like the Blackfriars were illuminated by wax candles. This technological transition was not merely cosmetic; it fundamentally altered playwriting structure. Because candles guttered and required regular trimming, playwrights had to introduce mandatory pauses throughout the performance. Consequently, the continuous, uninterrupted action typical of Elizabethan drama gave way to the structured, five-act format that defined Jacobean theater, transforming physical necessity into a narrative convention.

Which of the following best describes the rhetorical function of the sentence 'Because candles guttered and required regular trimming, playwrights had to introduce mandatory pauses throughout the performance' in the context of the passage?