Read the following passage and then choose the best answer for each question.
There are many legends about how William Shakespeare got his start in the theater. One states that he began by holding gentlemen’s horses at the playhouse door. Others say that he was a servant, a prompter’s assistant, or a call boy. In the period between 1592 and 1594, theatrical companies were somewhat disorganized; Shakespeare apparently decided to take advantage of this situation and, casting off the garb of a servant, presented himself as a poet. His two narrative poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, were published during this period, in 1593 and 1594 respectively.
In 1594, Shakespeare made the change from player and poet to actor and playwright. There were two principal theatrical companies at this point in the Elizabethan Age, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and the Lord Admiral’s Men. By 1595, Shakespeare was a leading member of one of the two, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and a sharer in that company. This allowed him to benefit financially as the company became more popular. It was a position of both promise and profit inasmuch as the company was soon to become the King’s Men with the accession to the throne of King James I.
Known today as one of the greatest playwrights of the English language, Shakespeare was a vital part of the King’s Men and played a major role in its success and popularity. In the beginning, his primary role with the company was as a superb actor and great draw. However, after 1603 his name as the principal actor no longer appeared in the credits; from that time on his chief contribution to the company, and to the world, was his plays. His work was the most substantial of the King’s Men repertoire during that period and continues to this day to bring the public out to the playhouse.
1. The paragraph preceding the passage most probably discussed ______.
