Question

The following passage is from page 114 of the book The History of East Germany by Spartacus Mann:

The Trabant was a car produced in East Germany from 1957 to 1991. During a large part of that time, Germany was divided into two parts by the Berlin Wall—East and West. Cars were not readily available in East Germany.
The Trabant, also known as the Trabi, was a small car with a weak engine. The car measured about 11 ½ feet long, 5 feet wide, and 5 feet tall. The frame of the Trabi was made from steel, and the body was made from a hard, lightweight plastic. The engine had only two cylinders and took more than 20 seconds to reach its top speed of about 67 miles per hour. In addition to its lack of power, the Trabi produced a lot of pollution. The car did not have modern engine parts to reduce the amount of carbon and other gases produced.
Despite the Trabi’s lack of efficiency, it was very popular due to the limited availability of cars. In East Germany, owning a car was a luxury. People living in Berlin had to remain on a waiting list for 11 to 15 years for one of the Trabis. People who lived in other parts of Germany had to wait up to 18 years for the car. The value of a used Trabi was actually around 4,000 marks (the German currency at the time) more than a new one. The increase in the used car’s value was due to its immediate availability.
1
Read the following sentence from the passage.

Despite the Trabi's lack of efficiency, it was very popular due to the limited availability of cars.

According to MLA guidelines, which of the following best paraphrases this sentence from the passage?
A.
Not many people liked the Trabi because it produced too many pollutants, but it was still popular (Mann 114).
B.
Due to the limited availability of cars, the Trabi was very popular despite its lack of efficiency (Mann 114).
C.
Because not many cars were available, the Trabi was in very high demand even though it was uneconomical (Mann 114).
D.
Trabis were highly sought after because they produced few pollutants and because there were not many cars (Mann 114).

Answer 1

C

Choice C correctly restates the original idea in new words ("not many cars were available," "in very high demand," "uneconomical") and includes the MLA parenthetical citation (Mann 114). The other options misstate the meaning or repeat the original wording too closely.