Read the passage.

Alexander Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo is set in France in the early 1800s during Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign, exile, and brief return to power.

Edmond Dantès is the first mate on the ship the Pharaon. While at sea, the captain dies, and Dantès brings the ship safely into port. The ship’s owner is impressed by Dantès's performance and promotes him. Dantès is thrilled and is anxious to marry his beloved Mercédès who lives in the Spanish district of Les Catalans. Danglars, the ship’s accountant, envies Dantès’s success. Fernand, a local fisherman, is jealous because he is in love with Mercédès. The two men accuse Dantès of treason, and he is sentenced to prison.



According to details in this excerpt, which cultural experience do Mercédès and Fernand most likely have in common?


A. caring only about the present, without considering what the future may hold


B. feeling that love is the most important thing in young people's lives


C. living in a small community that has little contact with the surrounding peoples


D. surviving on the charity of other people because of poverty