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Information and IdeasVery hardInference from a blank page in a lighthouse log

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The lighthouse keeper's log for 1893 records the weather every day but one, 14 March, on which the page is blank. The next entry, on 15 March, notes that the relief boat arrived 'at last'. The log for the following year shows that the keeper requested, and was granted, a second assistant. A historian could reasonably infer that ____

Which choice most logically completes the text?

  1. A. something happened around 14 March that the keeper could not or would not record, and that it left him wanting more help.Correct
  2. B. the keeper forgot to write on 14 March.
  3. C. the relief boat arrived earlier than expected.
  4. D. the lighthouse was closed in 1894.

Answer: A. something happened around 14 March that the keeper could not or would not record, and that it left him wanting more help.

A blank page, a boat 'at last', and a request for help.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. the keeper forgot to write on 14 March.
Forgetting does not explain 'at last' or the request.
C. the relief boat arrived earlier than expected.
'At last' suggests the opposite.
D. the lighthouse was closed in 1894.
A second assistant was granted, so it stayed open.

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