16Hit1600
Expression of IdeasVery hardSynthesis: acknowledging a limitation while making a claim

Expression of Ideas practice question

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: - The Skerry lighthouse was built in 1811 and is the oldest working light on the coast. - Its original lamp burned whale oil and was visible for 9 nautical miles. - The current electric lamp is visible for 18 nautical miles. - The lighthouse's records were lost in a fire in 1902. - Nothing is known of the keepers before 1902.

The student wants to make a claim about the lighthouse's history while acknowledging a gap in the evidence. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

  1. A. The Skerry lighthouse has been a working light since 1811, though because its records were lost in a fire in 1902, nothing is known of the keepers who tended it before then.Correct
  2. B. The Skerry lighthouse was built in 1811 and is the oldest working light on the coast.
  3. C. The current electric lamp is visible for 18 nautical miles, twice the range of the original whale-oil lamp.
  4. D. The lighthouse's records were lost in a fire in 1902.

Answer: A. The Skerry lighthouse has been a working light since 1811, though because its records were lost in a fire in 1902, nothing is known of the keepers who tended it before then.

A claim (working since 1811) and the gap (no keepers known before 1902).

Why the other answers are wrong

B. The Skerry lighthouse was built in 1811 and is the oldest working light on the coast.
A claim with no acknowledged gap.
C. The current electric lamp is visible for 18 nautical miles, twice the range of the original whale-oil lamp.
About the lamp; no gap.
D. The lighthouse's records were lost in a fire in 1902.
The gap without the claim.

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