Analysis of the Paragraph and Statements

The question asks which of the given statements is best supported by the provided paragraph. We need to evaluate each option based on the explicit information in the text.

The Paragraph's Key Points:

• Fact: There is a renewed interest in Shakespeare's work in the United States, with an estimated demand of 50,000 to 60,000 people for a complete anthology.
• Reason: The cause for this interest is attributed to the "amazing" psychological insights of his characters, which are still relevant today.

Evaluating the Options:

A. Shakespeare's characters are more interesting than fictional characters today.

• The paragraph states that Shakespeare's characters are "amazing even today," but it does not make any direct comparison to modern fictional characters. Stating they are "more" interesting is an unsupported claim.

B. People even today are interested in Shakespeare's work because of the characters.

• This statement accurately summarizes the two key points of the paragraph. It acknowledges the current interest ("people even today are interested") and correctly identifies the cause provided in the text ("because of the characters").

C. Academic scholars are putting together an anthology of Shakespeare's work.

• The paragraph states that a "New York publisher" is involved with the anthology, not academic scholars. Scholars are only mentioned as the source for the reason behind the interest.

D. New Yorkers have a renewed interested in the work of Shakespeare.

• The text specifies that the interest is in the "United States", not just among New Yorkers. The publisher's location in New York is incidental to the scope of the interest.

Conclusion

Statement B is the only one that is directly and fully supported by the information given in the paragraph.