Before a play is performed, it is ___________

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks what happens to a play before it is performed in front of an audience. We need the word that describes the preparation stage.

Step 2: Explain the concepts

• Audition: a try-out where actors are tested for roles. It happens before casting, not as something done to the play itself. We say actors are auditioned, not plays.
• Applaud: to clap hands in appreciation. This happens after or during a performance.
• Rehearse: to practise a play repeatedly (lines, movements, stage directions, cues) so that the final performance is polished.
• Recite: to repeat something aloud from memory, as with a poem. It is not the usual term for preparing a play.

Step 3: Work through the options

• A. Auditioned: it applies to actors, not to the play, so it doesn't fit.
• B. Applauded: this comes after, so it is wrong.
• C. Rehearsed: the standard term for a play's preparation before the performance, so it fits.
• D. Recited: it suits poetry, not a staged play.

Step 4: Answer The correct answer is C. Rehearsed.

Tip: Remember the production order: Audition → Rehearsal → Performance → Applause. Auditions choose the actors, rehearsals prepare the play, and applause is the audience's reaction at the end. In Literature in English, questions on drama terms often test this sequence.