Comes from "Madoff Is Sentenced to 150 Years for Ponzi Scheme" in Commonlit

PART A: Which statement best expresses the central idea of the text?
A. Madoff's maximum sentence for his crimes defrauding people left some people feeling avenged and others unsure about the motivation behind the punishment.
B. The judge was influenced by his personal connections to the victims and allowed these relationships to influence his sentencing of Madoff.
C. Madoff wasn't deserving of such a severe sentence, as he never intended to lose the money of so many of his investors.
D. Rather than sentence Madoff to prison for the rest of his life, his time would be better spent earning back the money he lost his investors.

PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to part A?
A. "Only a few moments before, Mr. Madoff had apologized for the harm he inflicted on the clients who had trusted him, his employees and his family. He blamed his pride, which would not allow him to admit his failures as a money manager." (Paragraph 4)
B. "Michael Schwartz, who said Mr. Madoff had stolen money set aside to sustain his
disabled brother, expressed the hope that 'his jail cell will become his coffin.'"
(Paragraph 11)
C. "And the bankruptcy trustee has sued more than a half-dozen hedge funds and large investors, seeking to recover more than $10 billion withdrawn from the fraud in its final months and years." (Paragraph 30)
D. "'I don't think symbolism has a very important part in sentencing,' he said. 'I certainly agree that a life sentence was appropriate, but this struck me as pandering to the crowd.'" (Paragraph 41)

What is the author's main purpose in the text?
A. to provide readers with information about how Madoff was able to pull off such a
complex Ponzi scheme
B. to encourage readers to feel sympathy for Madoff by emphasizing how long his
sentence is
C. to describe the justice system's treatment of Madoff for his crimes and the public's
reaction to his sentence
D. to critique the judge who sentenced Madoff, as the punishment of Madoff did not fit his crimes

How do paragraphs 20-22 contribute to the development of ideas in the text?
A. They help readers understand how Madoff was able to defraud so many people out of so much money.
B. They stress that Madoff is being treated unfairly by the courts and his victims, as weak market regulations are truly to blame for their suffering.
C. They suggest that people were angry with more than just Madoff's actions, but unfair financial systems that had been in place for a while.
D. They suggest that government agencies were knowingly helping Madoff defraud
people for a cut of the profits.