The article states: The low price of lobster is slowly causing more consumers to buy. The lobsters will hopefully remain in high demand in Europe. There , lobster is traditional fare at holiday parties. The author's purpose for writing this passage was to __ A. Prove that lobstermen should remain hopeful because local consumers buy more lobsters than Europeans B. Inform readers that there is high demand for lobsters in Europe, since they are served at holiday parties C. Prove that the current low price of Maine lobsters has created a high demand for them in Europe D. Explain why some lobstermen remain hopeful that the lobster industry will recover shortly

## Step 1<br />The first step in solving this problem is to understand the main idea of the passage. The passage discusses the high demand for lobsters in Europe, particularly during holiday parties.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />Next, we need to match the main idea of the passage with the options provided. <br /><br />## Step 3<br />Option A suggests that the passage is about proving that lobstermen should remain hopeful because local consumers buy more lobsters than Europeans. However, the passage does not provide any information about local consumers buying more lobsters than Europeans.<br /><br />## Step 4<br />Option B suggests that the passage is about informing readers that there is high demand for lobsters in Europe, since they are served at holiday parties. This aligns with the main idea of the passage.<br /><br />## Step 5<br />Option C suggests that the passage is about proving that the current low price of Maine lobsters has created a high demand for them in Europe. However, the passage does not provide any information about the low price of Maine lobsters.<br /><br />## Step 6<br />Option D suggests that the passage is about explaining why some lobstermen remain hopeful that the lobster industry will recover shortly. However, the passage does not provide any information about lobstermen remaining hopeful.