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Question

Difficulty: MediumCause-and-Effect Relationships

Passage

In the mid-nineteenth century, cities faced a severe architectural constraint: buildings rarely exceeded five or six stories. While masonry techniques could support taller structures, human endurance and safety concerns did not. Steam-powered hoists existed, but they relied on simple hemp ropes that frequently frayed and snapped, making them far too dangerous for passenger travel. Consequently, upper floors were leased for lower rents, as tenants avoided the exhausting climb. This dynamic shifted dramatically in 1852 when Elisha Otis designed the safety elevator brake. Otis attached a tough, steel wagon spring to the top of the elevator platform and ran guide rails down the sides of the shaft. If the hoisting rope snapped, the tension on the spring was released, causing the spring's ends to snap outward and engage teeth in the guide rails, instantly locking the platform in place. By eliminating the fear of catastrophic falls, Otis's invention revolutionized urban development. The safety brake transformed upper floors from low-rent liabilities into premium penthouses, driving a surge in land values. Investors, realizing they could safely build upward rather than outward, began financing the skyscrapers that would redefine modern city skylines.

According to the passage, the shift in investor behavior that led to the financing of skyscrapers was directly caused by which of the following?

  1. The elimination of safety risks in vertical travel, which transformed upper floors into highly valuable rental spaces.Answer
  2. B
    The widespread construction of skyscrapers, which forced inventors to develop safer passenger elevators.
  3. C
    The development of steam-powered hoists that relied on hemp ropes to transport cargo.
  4. D
    The advancement of masonry techniques that allowed buildings to exceed five or six stories.

Answer

The elimination of safety risks in vertical travel, which transformed upper floors into highly valuable rental spaces.
The correct answer correctly identifies the cause of the investment shift. The passage states that Otis's safety brake eliminated the fear of catastrophic falls and transformed upper floors from low-rent liabilities into premium spaces. This change in safety and rental value directly caused investors to realize they could build upward, leading them to finance skyscrapers.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the target effect in the question stem.
The target effect is the shift in investor behavior that led to the financing of skyscrapers.
To trace the cause, we must first locate the final effect mentioned in the passage.
2
Scan the passage for the sentence detailing the shift in investor behavior.
The final sentence states that investors, realizing they could safely build upward rather than outward, began financing skyscrapers.
This links investor behavior directly to the realization that building upward was now safe.
3
Trace the immediate cause of this realization.
The safety brake eliminated the fear of catastrophic falls, transforming upper floors from low-rent liabilities into premium spaces.
The safety brake made vertical passenger travel viable, which in turn increased the value of upper floors and motivated investors to finance taller buildings.

Key Concept

Identifying cause-and-effect relationships in a text by tracing logical sequences and distinguishing between problems, interventions, and outcomes.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Cause-and-Effect Relationships

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