16Hit1600
Information and IdeasEasy–MediumInference from a mismatch in records

Information and Ideas practice question

The ship's log records calm seas for the whole of the voyage, yet the cargo manifest notes that forty crates arrived broken. The purser's private diary mentions a night when 'the deck stood on end'. This suggests that ____

Which choice most logically completes the text?

  1. A. the official log understated the weather the ship encountered.Correct
  2. B. the crates were broken before they were loaded.
  3. C. the purser was seasick.
  4. D. the voyage was cancelled.

Answer: A. the official log understated the weather the ship encountered.

Calm seas officially; broken crates and a deck 'on end' unofficially: the log left out a storm.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. the crates were broken before they were loaded.
The manifest says they 'arrived' broken, and the diary points to rough seas.
C. the purser was seasick.
Seasickness isn't mentioned.
D. the voyage was cancelled.
The cargo arrived.

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