Read the passage.

All tragedies have a tragic hero, or protagonist. This character is usually of high or noble birth. The protagonist finds himself in a difficult situation for one of two reasons: Either he creates the situation because of a flaw in is character, or the situation is fated. The tragic hero ultimately experiences disaster. Sometimes the situation involves a combination of the two. For example, Oedipus is doomed by fate but makes his situation worse.

Tragedies are timeless. The protagonist is a character with whom audiences will sympathize because they can identify with the hero’s feelings of helplessness as he tries to fix his mistakes.

Which of the following best summarizes the first paragraph?

A.
Oedipus is a tragic hero because regardless of what he does, he cannot avoid the tragic fate that is waiting for him.

B.
A tragedy is a play about a character who struggles but cannot avoid a disastrous fate, no matter what.

C.
For every action a tragic hero takes, fate interferes and the main character experiences disaster because of a character flaw.

D.
The main character in a tragedy is of high status and experiences an unavoidable downfall because of fate or a character flaw.

1 answer

D. The main character in a tragedy is of high status and experiences an unavoidable downfall because of fate or a character flaw.