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Question

Difficulty: MediumRecognizing Explicit Cause and Effect

Traditional Japanese pagodas are remarkably resilient to seismic activity, with records showing that only a handful have collapsed during earthquakes over the past millennium. This structural durability is primarily attributed to a design element known as the *shinbashira*, a massive central wooden pillar that runs the height of the tower. Unlike the load-bearing columns found in Western architecture, the shinbashira carries none of the building's weight. Instead, it is suspended down the center of the structure, either resting on a stone base or hanging from the top story.

Each individual story of the pagoda is built to slide independently of the others. During an earthquake, these stories sway in opposite directions, acting as a series of counterweights. This out-of-phase movement is made possible because the wooden floorboards of each story are crafted with wide central openings that do not contact the shinbashira. When the ground shakes, the stories shift laterally, but their internal edges eventually collide with the central pillar. The shinbashira restricts the maximum displacement of each story, ensuring that the lateral shifting does not exceed the structural limits of the timber joints. Consequently, the tower remains standing because the shinbashira prevents the individual stories from sliding too far off-center.

According to the passage, the out-of-phase movement of the pagoda's individual stories is made possible by which of the following design features?

  1. The presence of wide central openings in the floorboards that prevent them from touching the central pillarAnswer
  2. B
    The massive load-bearing weight that the shinbashira transmits from the top story down to the stone base
  3. C
    The rigid timber joints that lock the stories together to prevent them from shifting laterally
  4. D
    The immediate collision of the floorboards with the central pillar as soon as seismic activity begins

Answer

The presence of wide central openings in the floorboards that prevent them from touching the central pillar
The passage explicitly states that the out-of-phase movement is made possible because the wooden floorboards of each story are crafted with wide central openings that do not contact the shinbashira (the central pillar).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the key effect mentioned in the question stem, which is the out-of-phase movement of the pagoda's individual stories.
Focused on locating 'out-of-phase movement' in the passage.
This establishes the target effect we need to find the cause for.
2
Locate where this effect is discussed in the passage.
In the second paragraph, the text states: 'This out-of-phase movement is made possible because...'
This sentence directly connects the effect with its explicit cause.
3
Read the clause that follows the word 'because' to find the explicit cause.
The cause is stated as: 'the wooden floorboards of each story are crafted with wide central openings that do not contact the shinbashira.'
This provides the literal explanation of the cause.
4
Match this literal cause to the correct option.
The correct option describes the presence of wide central openings in the floorboards that prevent them from touching the central pillar.
This option accurately paraphrases the explicit cause stated in the passage without introducing distortions.

Key Concept

Recognizing explicitly stated cause-and-effect relationships in a text.
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Topics

Recognizing Explicit Cause and Effect

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