Question

Difficulty: MediumSequence of Events

Passage

In the summer of 1884, the Scottish meteorologist Clement Wragge began ascending Ben Nevis daily to establish a weather observatory at its summit. Decades before the automated stations of the twentieth century, Wragge's grueling climbs laid the groundwork for modern mountain meteorology. However, his work was only made possible by the trial observations conducted three years earlier by the Meteorological Society. In 1881, the society had erected a temporary shelter on the peak, testing whether instruments could survive the harsh winter. Wragge himself had not been involved in that initial pilot; he was then concluding a meteorological survey in the Australian outback. It was only after his return to Great Britain in late 1882 that the society approached him with the proposal to lead the permanent station. By the time the observatory officially closed in 1904 due to a lack of government funding, Wragge had long since departed for Queensland, where he would go on to name tropical cyclones after local politicians.

Based on the passage, what is the correct chronological order of the following events, from earliest to latest?

  1. 1A temporary testing shelter is constructed on the peak of Ben Nevis.
  2. 2Clement Wragge finishes gathering meteorological data in Australia.
  3. 3Daily ascents of the mountain are initiated to establish a permanent station.
  4. 4Operations at the mountain observatory cease due to a lack of financial support.

Answer

The correct sequence is: first, the construction of a temporary testing shelter on Ben Nevis (1881); second, Clement Wragge concluding his survey in Australia (late 1882); third, the start of daily ascents to build a permanent station (1884); and finally, the closure of the observatory due to funding issues (1904).
The correct order follows the chronological progression established in the passage: the temporary shelter construction in 1881, the completion of Wragge's Australian survey prior to his late 1882 return, his daily climbs commencing in 1884, and the closure of the observatory in 1904.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the year of the temporary shelter construction.
The Meteorological Society built the temporary shelter in 1881.
The passage explicitly states that the society erected a temporary shelter on the peak in 1881.
2
Determine when Wragge concluded his Australian outback survey.
Wragge concluded his survey in Australia and returned to Great Britain in late 1882.
The passage notes he was concluding the survey during the 1881 pilot and returned in late 1882.
3
Determine the date of Wragge's daily climbs to build the permanent observatory.
Wragge began daily climbs in the summer of 1884.
The passage states he began ascending Ben Nevis daily in the summer of 1884.
4
Identify when the observatory officially closed.
The observatory closed in 1904.
The passage explicitly states the observatory officially closed in 1904.

Key Concept

Identifying the chronological sequence of events in a non-linear narrative by tracking explicit dates and relative time descriptions.
Rate this question