Reading Passage Question
In 1879, inventor Thomas A. Edison came up with a practical electric light bulb. Over the next 20 years, America began to wire up. At first, direct current (DC) was used, but DC didn’t work over distances of more than a few miles. Then a man named George Westinghouse began using alternating current (AC), which allowed high voltage to be sent long distances through transformers and then reduced to safer levels as it entered buildings. Switching from steam engines to electricity made factories safer and more efficient, too.
Solution and Explanation
- Which of the following statements would most likely conclude the passage as presented?
(A) Thomas A. Edison went on to invent many other important things.
(B) Innovations in electrical safety continue to be developed by Americans.
(C) America is known for innovations in other fields as well.
(D) The rock band AC/DC took its name from the differing types of electricity.
(E) In conclusion, that is how Thomas A. Edison invented electricity.
Answer: B
Explanation: Line “Over the next 20 years, America began to wire up.” and “ Then a man named George Westinghouse began using alternating current (AC). Which allowed high voltage to be sent long distances through transformers and then reduced to safer levels as it entered buildings.” Clearly indicates that innovation in electrical safety continued to be developed by Americans. Hence, option B is the correct answer.
- According to the passage, what does the term DC stand for in electrical wiring?
(A) Direct Charge
(B) District of Columbia
(C) Distinct Current
(D) Distinct Charge
(E) Direct Current
Answer: E
Explanation: “At first, direct current (DC) was used, but DC didn’t work over distances of more than a few miles.” As stated, “At first, direct current (DC) was used, but DC didn’t work over distances of more than a few miles.” Clearly tells us that DC is direct current according to the passage. Hence, option E is the correct answer.
- Which of the following, if fully written, would present a logical structure similar to the passage?
(A) A paragraph that begins with the innovation of an Egyptian inventor and goes on to explain how she develops her ideas.
(B) A biographical sketch of an important Iranian architect.
(C) A passage exploring the history of containing nuclear power, beginning with a brief look at the first time it was safely processed.
(D) An editorial about the dangers of allowing children to play near live electrical wires.
(E) A review of notable achievements by American inventors in all fields
Answer: C
Explanation: Option C is the most probable answer as it talks about the history of containing nuclear power and then a brief look at the first time that it was processed safely. Much like how the given passage talks about electricity and how it became safer.
- What can safely be inferred about steam engines from the passage?
(A) Steam engines were responsible for a significant portion of factory accidents before electrical engines were put into use.
(B) Steam engines were cheaper to produce than electrical engines, but less safe.
(C) Steam engines and electrical engines were developed simultaneously.
(D) Steam engines are more difficult to operate than electrical engines.
(E) It’s impossible to predict whether a steam engine will run safely or not.
Answer: A
Explanation: “Switching from steam engines to electricity made factories safer and more efficient, too.” The last line from the passage clearly implies that steam engines were not as safe as electricity factories. Hence, option A is the correct answer.
- Which of the following would be the best substitute for the word practical as used in the first sentence?
(A) Sensible
(B) Legal
(C) Reversible
(D) Unusual
(E) Serviceable
Answer: E
Explanation: “Serviceable” means something that can be used. Out of all the options, option E is the most probable answer.
- What is the connection between the two bolded sentences?
(A) The first puts forth an argument; the second refutes it.
(B) The first makes a general statement about events; the second offers evidence that proves that statement.
(C) The first is a metaphor for historical events; the second is the extension of that metaphor.
(D) The first is an ideological statement; the second is proof of that statement.
(E) The first is the evidence that an argument is needed; the second is the argument restated.
Answer: B
Explanation: “Over the next 20 years, America began to wire up” is a general statement about how America began to experiment with electricity. “Switching from steam engines to electricity made factories safer and more efficient, too.” The second statement offers evidence that proves that America began to wire up as they switched from steam engines to electricity.
“In 1879, inventor Thomas A. Edison came up with a practical electric”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.
This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 6 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.
Suggested GMAT Reading Comprehension Samples
- In Ursula Leguins Short Story The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Or PCOS (Aka Stein-Leventhal Disease) GMAT Reading Comprehension
- For Ages Logic Has Served As An Introduction To Philosophy, That Is GMAT Reading Comprehension
- All the Perceptions of the Human Mind Resolve Themselves into Two Distinct GMAT Reading Comprehension
- As the Moorish States in all Parts of Spain Fell into Progressive Political GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Every Person is, at Times, Troubled by the Thoughts that their Beliefs GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Global Warming – Increase in Average Temperatures World-Wide – is a Problem GMAT Reading Comprehension
- If You Make a Marked Increase in the Amount of Light Falling Upon GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The Railroads Played a Key Role in the Settlement of the West GMAT Reading Comprehension
- A Growing Body of Research on Sharks and their Relatives Portrays GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Each Method of Counting Bacteria has Advantages and Disadvantages GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Most People Associate Bartering With Poor Or Undeveloped Societies GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The Fact That Bacteria Are Capable Of Chemical Communication GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The New Apple Watch 4 Offers A Built-In App With An Electrical Heart Rate Sensor GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Woodrow Wilson Won His First Office In 1910 GMAT Reading Comprehension
- A SWOT analysis—the acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Till the Beginning of the 21 Century, the Food Supply Chain Across the GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Woman’s Demand for Equal Suffrage is Based Largely on the Contention GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The great French writer, Montaigne, deserves to be regarded as a classic GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Good Sense Is, Of All Things Among Men, The Most Equally Distributed GMAT Reading Comprehension
- It Is One Of The Disadvantages Of Reading Books About GMAT Reading Comprehension
- To Whatever Quarter Of The Heavens We Look, The Splendours GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Train Delays Have Always Been A Problem For People Of Developed GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Among The Speculative Questions Which Arise In Connection With The Study Of Arithmetic GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Hackers, As A Rule, Love Wordplay And Are Very Conscious And Inventive In Their Use Of Language. GMAT Reading Comprehension
- However Regular We May Imagine A Face To Be GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Among the Men and Women Prominent in the Public Life of America GMAT Reading Comprehension
- It is Claimed by Astronomers that their Science is Not Only the Oldest GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The Export-Oriented Economic Policies Adopted by Germany are so Inspiring GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The Rise of Popular Magazines and Magazine Sections of Daily Newspapers GMAT Reading Comprehension
- We Know Very Little About the First “True” Men GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Jose Maria, Boss of Telefonica, Recently Presented at a Spanish Conference-GMAT Reading Comprehension
- In her seminal work, The Continuum Concept, Jean Liedloff presents the controversial theory GMAT Reading Comprehension
- During the Final Decades of the Nineteenth Century, America Experienced unprecedented GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Oppression has been No less Fatal to the Indian than to the Negro Race GMAT Reading Comprehension
- When Considering the Successes and Failures of President Lyndon Johnson GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Before There Were Books, Before, Even, There Was The Written Word GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Between 1965 And 1970, Welfare Caseloads More Than Doubled And Costs GMAT Reading Comprehension
- In appearance, the Greek gods were supposed to resemble mortals GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The Law of Nations is founded, I have said, on the general principles GMAT Reading Comprehension
- According to government data, more than 50 percent of adults in the USA GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Most schoolchildren in North America are familiar with the "red on black, red on GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Today, children whose parents are deemed incapable of caring for them GMAT Reading Comprehension
- In 2009, President Obama Pledged To Reduce America’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions GMAT Reading Comprehension
- In Establishing Economic Policy, Policy Makers Usually Rely On Pre Existing Models GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Nine Days Of State Mourning At The Passing Away Of Britain’s Queen Mother GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The Seasoning and Kiln-Drying of Wood is Such an Important Process GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The Purpose of Mechanics is to Describe How Bodies Change their Position GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The Subject of the Importance of Good Writing is as Broad as its Use GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The Variety of Mouse Which is Known as the Japanese Dancing or Waltzing GMAT Reading Comprehension
Comments