Explanation
Correct answer: B.
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the purpose of the National Heritage Fellowship. In this context, "recognize" means acknowledge or honor someone officially for their achievements. The text states that the fellowship was created for "exceptional folk and traditional artists." It then provides an example of one recipient of the fellowship, circus aerialist Dolly Jacobs, who was given the fellowship "to celebrate her lifetime contributions to the arts." The fact that the fellowship is given to celebrate exceptional artists for their achievements therefore suggests that its purpose is to publicly honor, or recognize, them.
Why the other choices are wrong
Choice A
Choice A is incorrect because "startle" would mean alarm or surprise, and there’s nothing in the text to suggest that Jacobs and other artists who received the National Heritage Fellowship didn’t expect to receive it or were alarmed by it. It therefore wouldn’t make sense to say the fellowship was created to publicly alarm or surprise exceptional artists.
Choice C
Choice C is incorrect because in this context, "familiarize" would mean make known or familiar, but the text gives no indication that Jacobs or other recipients of the National Heritage Fellowship were unknown or unfamiliar before receiving the fellowship or that the fellowship was intended to make them familiar to the public. In fact, the text describes recipients as "exceptional" and notes that Jacobs received the award "to celebrate her lifetime contributions to the arts," both of which suggest that Jacobs and other recipients were already well known in the arts world.
Choice D
Choice D is incorrect because "convey" would mean either transport or communicate something, neither of which would be logical in this context. The fellowship doesn’t transport artists, and though the process of awarding the fellowship might communicate something about the artists to the general public, it would be illogical to state that the fellowship communicates the artists themselves. Rather, the fellowship honors artists for their contributions.