Question

New plays are written every year, courtesy of the new wave of playwrights: John Lyly, Thomas Preston, and Thomas Hughes. The queen continues to encourage dramatic art, personally attending performances at Gray’s Inn, Greenwich Palace, and Whitehall Palace. In 1583 she establishes her own theater company, the Queen’s Men, and leading actors flock to it. Puritans are enraged, and the following year the city authorities try to out­law plays altogether, both within and outside the city walls. But now that drama has received royal approval, they don’t stand a chance.

–The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England,
Ian Mortimer

Based on the structure of the passage, which event most directly caused city authorities to try to outlaw plays?

New plays were written every year.
The queen encouraged dramatic art.
The queen attended a performance at Gray’s Inn.
The Puritans become enraged at theatre growth.

Answer 1

The Puritans become enraged at theatre growth.

The passage states “Puritans are enraged, and the following year the city authorities try to outlaw plays,” indicating the Puritans' anger directly led to the attempt to ban plays.