Ballads began as oral tradition, meaning that
a.
they were passed down by being told aloud
b.
only certain bards could tell them
c.
they were initially written down
d.
they were meant to be enjoyed in solitude

I believe the correct answer from the choices listed above is option A. Ballads began as oral tradition, meaning that they were passed down by being told aloud. The keyword here would be oral which is related to telling something by mouth. Hope this answers the question.

‘the resulting drop in pressure would be detected by the soviets.’

B. alice is pretending there is a way through the glass when in reality that would not be physically possible therefore she has to pretend. but i think d is also possible because alice notices the glass is actually melting away which is also not possible either