Write the gist of this paragraph.

There were few towns, particularly in northwestern Europe, during the early Middle Ages. The rule of the feudal lords discouraged trade, and towns lived by trade. Each lord collected a toll, for “protection,” from all merchants who came into his neighborhood. A merchant paid many such tolls in traveling from one land to another. For example, a merchant taking a boatload of goods down the Loire River from Orléans had to pay 74 different tolls. Needless to say, the many tolls made goods expensive and trade difficult even in times of peace. During the frequent private wars trade became still more risky.

Answer:

Explanation: Towns in northwest Europe were mostly guarded by feudal lords in the early Middle Ages, who extorted tolls from traders in exchange for safety. For instance, 74 distinct tolls had to be paid by a merchant transporting a boatload of goods down the Loire River from Orléans, making commodities costly and trading difficult. Trade got riskier during the private wars.

Select two reasons why selfies became popular based on concepts from Passage 1.

A. Australian influence
B. Peoples need to document their lives on social media.
C. The love of photography
D. American youth and their interest in the latest technology.
E. It became much easier to make a selfie due to advances in technology. F celebrities are the only reason selfies became popular