I'm sure its the first one. I haven't really read the poem in a while but i can easily tell by how it's spoken.
Answer:
The word "protracted" means lasting longer than expected, or unusually long, so what protracted most clearly means based on the context of the excerpt is how the time period of celestial motion studies must have lasted unusually long.
Answer:
b. a musician and stage hand's announcing of the performance actors
Explanation:
In Act I, the producer comes in to announce the performance actors and to kick start the drama. It was at the stage, the "Six Characters" walked to the stage door and informed the stage keeper that they wanted to see the producer.
After meeting with the producer, the producer introduces the "Six Characters" as the performance actors.
Luigi Pirandello, the author of Six Characters in Search of an Author had gotten international reputation in the 1920s through his work and this play has been used to widely identify him.
Answer:
b) hammered into shape
Explanation:
According to the excerpt from Stuff Matters by Mark Miodownik, it is narrated that metals were a great discovery which replaced the use of stones and bones as they were easily malleable unlike the other previously used material.
The line from the excerpt that provides context that supports the meaning of the word malleable is "hammered into shape". This is because for a thing to be malleable, it means that it its shape can be easily altered.