Information and IdeasEasy–MediumLocating a stated reason
Information and Ideas practice question
Before the 1880s, each town in the United States kept its own time, set by the local noon. Railways, which needed timetables that worked across hundreds of towns, adopted four standard time zones in 1883. The federal government did not make the zones law until 1918.
According to the text, why did the railways adopt standard time zones?
- A. Their timetables had to work across many towns that each kept a different local time.Correct
- B. The federal government required them to do so in 1883.
- C. Local noon could not be measured accurately.
- D. Passengers had complained about late trains.
Answer: A. Their timetables had to work across many towns that each kept a different local time.
The text states the reason directly: railways 'needed timetables that worked across hundreds of towns' each keeping its own time.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. The federal government required them to do so in 1883.
- The government acted in 1918, thirty-five years after the railways.
- C. Local noon could not be measured accurately.
- Nothing suggests local noon was inaccurate; the problem was that every town's noon was different.
- D. Passengers had complained about late trains.
- No complaints are mentioned.
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