16Hit1600
Expression of IdeasVery hardSynthesis: giving a cause and its timing

Expression of Ideas practice question

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: - The Dunmore Canal opened in 1810 and closed to traffic in 1935. - At its peak in 1860 it carried 400,000 tonnes of goods a year. - The Dunmore railway opened alongside the canal in 1852. - By 1870 the railway carried three quarters of the goods that had gone by water. - A trust reopened part of the canal for leisure boats in 2004.

The student wants to explain why the canal's traffic declined and when the decline began. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

  1. A. The decline began when the Dunmore railway opened alongside the canal in 1852; by 1870 the railway carried three quarters of the goods that had gone by water.Correct
  2. B. The canal closed to traffic in 1935.
  3. C. At its peak in 1860 the canal carried 400,000 tonnes a year.
  4. D. A trust reopened part of the canal in 2004.

Answer: A. The decline began when the Dunmore railway opened alongside the canal in 1852; by 1870 the railway carried three quarters of the goods that had gone by water.

The railway of 1852, and its share by 1870: cause and timing.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. The canal closed to traffic in 1935.
The end, not the cause.
C. At its peak in 1860 the canal carried 400,000 tonnes a year.
The peak, not the decline.
D. A trust reopened part of the canal in 2004.
Later history.

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