Based on the explicit and implicit information from the passage, the reader can infer that
a) tableware was rarer in Elizabethan times than it is today
b) Elizabethan diners were more informal than modern diners.
c) the Elizabethans liked sharing more than modern people do
d) guests were happier in Elizabethan times than they are now.

INFO:
Sometimes guests brought their own knives and spoons, and sometimes they were furnished by the host. If not eating something soft or soupy that required a spoon, people ate with their fingers, using their knives only to take food from the main serving platter and to cut it when necessary. The knife was placed on the right side of the trencher, and the bread was on the left. Cups were not placed on the table. If a guest wanted a drink, he or she would ask a servant, who would bring them a cup that was kept on a side table or sometimes in a cool bath of water. When the guest finished drinking, they would return the cup to the servant, who would rinse it out, making it ready for the next guest.