Which sentence best develops the author's claim about the materials used to make shoes? excerpt from "Shoes: Feet First
from A History of Travel in 50 Vehicles
by Paula Grey & Phillip Hoose
Despite the relatively recent age of the early shoes found to date, scientists belleve that humans were wearing shoes as much as 40,000 years
ago. Shoes made of reeds, papyrus, or even leather decompose easily, leaving few or no traces. But people who don't wear shoes have wider
feet and bigger gaps between their big toe and the other four. In studying bones of the smaller toes of fossilized skeletons, scientists observed
that the thickness of these bones decreased somewhere between 40,000 and 26,000 years ago. They believe the change was the result of
wearing shoes
The materials used to make shoes varied with the climate and region. Ancient Egyptians made sandals from papyrus and palm leaves. The Masal
of Africa used rawhide; the people of India used wood; and the Chinese and Japanese used rice straw. South Americans wove sandals from the
leaves the sisal plant, and the Anasazi people of Mexico and Arizona used the yucca plant. The Dutch developed wooden clogs. People living in
arctic climates created snowshoes--a hardwood frame with rawhide lacings--which distribute a person's weight over a larger area so that the
foot doesn't sink into the snow.
Today, shoe manufacturers use rubber, plastic, cloth, and other materials in addition to leather. Most soles are made from synthetic materials
such as ethylene, vinyl, acetate, rubber, and polyurethane, which provide better traction, durability, and water resistance than leather soles.
Special shoes are available for running, bowling, and other sports. And shoes are often considered an important fashion accessory