Read the excerpt from "how the grimm brothers saved the fairy tale."

despite difficult personal problems and meager financial support from 1805 to 1812, the brothers proved themselves to be innovative scholars in the new field of german philology by publishing articles and books on medieval literature. in fact, they would be surprised to learn that they are more famous today for their tales than for their superb philological studies, which include pioneering work on german sound shifts, and the founding of the voluminous german dictionary in 1854. but it was their training in philology and the demands that they placed on themselves as researchers that assisted their collecting and editing the tales.

which idea does the author introduce first?

a the fact that the brothers are better known for their folk tales
b the brothers' founding of the german dictionary in 1854
c the brothers' ability to overcome difficulties to succeed as scholars
d the role that philology played in the brothers' research skills

The idea the author introduces first is Option C: The brothers' ability to overcome difficulties to succeed as scholars.

Explanation:

The idea that is introduced in the first sentence of the except is that the Brothers Grimm had financial difficulties and personal dilemmas that they need to overcome. Despite these difficulties, they were able to publish their research and at the time were innovative intellectuals in the emerging field of philology. This is surprising to us today as we know of the Brothers Grimm as the authors of such classic fairy tales as Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel. The brothers are also important scholars in the field of folklore as they developed a systematic methodology for collecting this oral heritage.

animal farm, written by george orwell, is a representation of russia after the revolution that led stalin to take over power.

in this excerpt, the central idea seems to be that the animals (a representation of society), when they believe to be working for a greater good and equality, are obedient and productive. they were convinced that, after expelling the owner (jones) from the farm, they would live in harmony and be fairly treated.

as we know, the pigs become the leaders and grow more selfish and dictatorial with time. in the end, they look and act in a way so similar to humans that it is impossible to tell the difference. the ideals of equality are shattered, and the farm turns out to be worse than it was before. the animals are manipulated with false propaganda and forced to work in order to enrich the pigs.