7Over the years, the river has been the source of a number of problems. In the nineteenth century, Londoners dumped waste from their homes into the Thames. This
made the water so smelly that the House of Commons had to relocate for a time. The
pollution of the river also contributed to an outbreak of disease that killed many
people and to the disappearance of most of the river's fish. Luckily, various clean-up
efforts during the twentieth century have greatly improved the river's water quality
and allowed fish to return.
What would be the BEST way to show people how the quality of the river's water has improved since the nineteenth century?

A) read an excerpt from one of Edmund Spenser's poems about the beauty of
the river

B) examine how the Thames River was described by playwrights during the
time of Shakespeare
C) demonstrate how there are greater toxins in the Thames today than in past
centuries
D) describe the increase in fish in the river since the clean-up efforts in the twentieth century