Question

Editors of newspapers and magazines sometimes go to ridiculous lengths to provide readers with exact but unimportant details. Once, a journalist was asked by a well-known magazine to write about the president’s palace in a newly formed African republic. _____. The article began by saying that hundreds of steps led to the high wall around the palace. The editor immediately sent a message asking for the exact number of steps and the precise height of the wall.

The editors reaction to the first sentence leads to his demand for exact numbers. Option C sets up this reaction clearly.

A The journalist immediately tried to obtain these details, but the process took too long

B The editor expected the article to be flawless from the first sentence to the last full stop

C When the article arrived, the editor read the opening sentence and refused to publish it as it stood

D The journalist sent a telegram saying that he had been arrested while collecting information

E The president refused to allow the journalist to count the steps leading to the palace

Detailed Solution