Information and IdeasEasy–MediumLocating a stated detail
Information and Ideas practice question
The Antikythera mechanism, recovered from a shipwreck in 1901, is a bronze device built from at least thirty interlocking gears. Researchers now believe it modelled the motions of the sun, moon and the planets known to the ancient Greeks, and that it could predict eclipses decades in advance. Nothing of comparable complexity appears in the historical record for another thousand years.
According to the text, what could the mechanism predict?
- A. Eclipses, decades before they occurred.Correct
- B. The locations of shipwrecks.
- C. The dates on which new planets would be discovered.
- D. Earthquakes in the Mediterranean.
Answer: A. Eclipses, decades before they occurred.
The text states directly that the device 'could predict eclipses decades in advance'.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. The locations of shipwrecks.
- The mechanism was FOUND in a shipwreck; nothing suggests it predicted them.
- C. The dates on which new planets would be discovered.
- It modelled the planets already known to the Greeks. Discovery of new ones isn't mentioned.
- D. Earthquakes in the Mediterranean.
- Earthquakes are never mentioned in the text.
More Information and Ideas questions
- Easy–Medium
Which choice most logically completes the text? - Easy–Medium
According to the text, which statement is true of the monarch migration? - Easy–Medium
According to the text, which statement about the Great Barrier Reef is true? - Easy–Medium
According to the text, what does the duration of the waggle dance indicate? - Easy–Medium
According to the text, what was one purpose of the 1976 voyage of the Hōkūleʻa? - Easy–Medium
Which finding, if true, would most directly weaken the researchers' hypothesis?
Not affiliated with the College Board. SAT is a trademark of the College Board.