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Information and IdeasEasySelecting a quotation that supports a stated claim

Information and Ideas practice question

In 2019, engineers inspected the Harrow Creek Bridge, a steel-and-concrete highway bridge completed in 1954. Their report stated that "the concrete deck shows only minor surface cracking and remains in serviceable condition." The report described the bridge's main steel support beams, however, as "heavily corroded, with measurable loss of metal thickness at four connection points." The inspectors also noted that "the bridge carries approximately 4,000 vehicles per day, well below the volume for which it was designed," and they recommended that "the county schedule a follow-up inspection within eighteen months."

Which quotation from the text best supports the claim that the bridge's steel supports have physically lost material to corrosion?

  1. A. "the concrete deck shows only minor surface cracking and remains in serviceable condition"
  2. B. "heavily corroded, with measurable loss of metal thickness at four connection points"Correct
  3. C. "the bridge carries approximately 4,000 vehicles per day, well below the volume for which it was designed"
  4. D. "the county schedule a follow-up inspection within eighteen months"

Answer: B. "heavily corroded, with measurable loss of metal thickness at four connection points"

The claim is specifically about steel supports losing material, and choice B directly reports corrosion plus "measurable loss of metal thickness" in the steel beams. A describes a different component (the concrete deck) and reports good condition, the error of matching the bridge topic but not the claim's subject. C reports traffic volume, confusing how heavily the bridge is used with the physical condition of its steel. D is a recommendation for future action rather than a finding about material loss.

Why the other answers are wrong

A. "the concrete deck shows only minor surface cracking and remains in serviceable condition"
This quotation is about the concrete deck, not the steel beams, and it reports good condition — right bridge, wrong component.
C. "the bridge carries approximately 4,000 vehicles per day, well below the volume for which it was designed"
Traffic volume tells you how heavily the bridge is used, not whether its steel has lost material to corrosion.
D. "the county schedule a follow-up inspection within eighteen months"
A recommendation for a future inspection isn't a finding about material loss; the claim needs a measured observation of the steel.

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