Anderson maintains that travel writing has diminished in quality over the last few decades. Although travel writing has changed in this time, Anderson is too harsh on contemporary travel writers. Today, when the general public is better traveled than in the past, travel writers face a challenge far greater than that of their predecessors: they must not only show their readers a place but also make them see it anew. That the genre has not only survived but also flourished shows the talent of today' s practitioners. Which one of the following most accurately describes the role played in the argument by the statement that the general public is better traveled today than in the past? ['It is cited as evidence that contemporary travel writing is intended for a wider readership.', 'It is claimed to be a result of good travel writing.', 'It is cited as a reason that travel writing flourishes more today than it has in the past.', 'It is cited as a condition that has transformed the task of the travel writer.']