Question

Difficulty: EasyEvaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content

The sandwich is named after John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. According to legend, Montagu was an avid gambler who did not want to leave the gaming table to eat. He ordered his valet to bring him meat tucked between two slices of bread, allowing him to play cards and eat at the same time. Playing cards first became popular in Europe during the late fourteenth century. This convenient meal option quickly grew in popularity among his peers, eventually becoming a staple of modern cuisine.

The writer is considering deleting the underlined sentence. Should the sentence be kept or deleted?

  1. Deleted, because it interrupts the paragraph's focus on the origin of the sandwich with an unrelated detail about playing cards.Answer
  2. B
    Kept, because it provides necessary background information about the history of the game Montagu was playing.
  3. C
    Kept, because it establishes the historical period during which the sandwich was invented.
  4. D
    Deleted, because it contradicts the claim that the sandwich became a staple of modern cuisine.

Answer

Deleted, because it interrupts the paragraph's focus on the origin of the sandwich with an unrelated detail about playing cards.
The correct option is the one stating the sentence should be deleted because it interrupts the paragraph's focus on the sandwich with an unrelated detail. The paragraph is about the origin of the sandwich, and the historical timeline of playing cards is irrelevant to this topic.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the primary focus of the paragraph.
The paragraph describes the origin of the sandwich, explaining how John Montagu's gambling habits led to the creation of a convenient food option.
Identifying the main idea helps evaluate whether the underlined sentence contributes to that idea.
2
Analyze the role and content of the underlined sentence.
The underlined sentence describes when playing cards became popular in Europe, which is a historical fact about cards rather than sandwiches.
This step evaluates if the sentence supports the main topic or introduces a distraction.
3
Evaluate the options to find the one with the correct decision and logical reasoning.
The sentence should be deleted because it introduces irrelevant information. The option stating that it interrupts the focus on the origin of the sandwich provides the correct rationale.
Both the correct action (deletion) and the correct reason must align.

Key Concept

Evaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content
Estimated Time:45s
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