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Information and IdeasMediumInference from a sudden change in a record

Information and Ideas practice question

The parish register lists an average of four marriages a year for two centuries. In 1846 it lists nineteen, and in 1847 only two. A new railway line opened in the parish in 1846. It is reasonable to infer that ____

Which choice most logically completes the text?

  1. A. the railway's arrival temporarily brought a large number of workers into the parish.Correct
  2. B. the register for 1846 was copied twice.
  3. C. marriages were forbidden in 1847.
  4. D. the parish's population fell in 1846.

Answer: A. the railway's arrival temporarily brought a large number of workers into the parish.

A spike in the year of construction, then a fall.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. the register for 1846 was copied twice.
No sign of copying errors.
C. marriages were forbidden in 1847.
Two marriages still took place.
D. the parish's population fell in 1846.
A spike suggests more people, not fewer.

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