Question

The Rose is built by Philip Henslowe at Southwark, not far from the bear-baiting and bull-baiting arenas, in 1587. Eight years later Francis Langley erects the Swan on a site nearby; and in 1596 Richard Burbage builds the Blackfriars Theatre, an indoor venue, al­though it does not open its doors until 1599. Most important of all, Shake­speare, Richard and Cuthbert Burbage, and their partners dismantle The Theatre and remove its beams to a new site at Southwark, where it is rebuilt in 1599 as the Globe. When Edward Alleyn builds the Fortune on the north­ern edge of the city in 1600, the array of Elizabethan theaters is complete.
–The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England,
Ian Mortimer

Follow the chronological text structure to put the events in order.

Which theater was built first?

Answer 1

The Rose

The Rose was built first, before the other theatres mentioned. It was built by Philip Henslow in 1587. The next theatre built was the Swan in 1595, then The Blackfriar's Theatre in 1596 (but it didn't open until 1599). The Globe was built in 1599 and The Fortune was built in 1600. 

Answer 2

Answer: The Rose.

Explanation: To follow a chronological order in a text is to identify which elements occur first, and then organize the rest of the events in the order of occurrence. By reading the given excerpt we can see that the theatre that was built first was "The Rose" in 1587, followed by "The Swan" in 1595, "The Blackfriars Theatre" in 1596 (but it opened in 1599), then "The Globe was built in 1599 and "The Fortune" in 1600.