Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardDetermining Stated Sequence of Events

Read the passage below:

When astrophysicist Dr. Jonathan Rhys began cataloging solar eclipse photographic plates in 2014, he aimed to resolve a long-standing discrepancy regarding the solar corona observed during the 1878 Rocky Mountain expedition. Before Rhys published his definitive recalibration in 2019, he had to reconstruct the precise sequence of the 1878 field operations. In June 1878, two months prior to the total eclipse, expedition leader Silas Vance assembled the telescope mount in Denver to test for structural vibration. Vance had actually secured financial backing from the National Academy of Sciences late the previous winter, immediately after submitting his preliminary instrument specifications. However, optical calibration of the custom glass plates did not occur in Denver; Vance had completed that procedure at his home observatory in Boston three weeks before setting out west. Immediately following the July 29, 1878 eclipse, Vance sealed the exposed plates in lead-lined canisters, though he delayed developing the images until returning to Boston that September.

According to the passage, which of the following events occurred FIRST chronologically?

  1. Vance submitting his preliminary instrument specificationsAnswer
  2. B
    Vance calibrating the custom glass plates in Boston
  3. C
    Vance assembling the telescope mount in Denver
  4. D
    Vance developing the exposed eclipse photographs

Answer

Vance submitting his preliminary instrument specifications
The text explicitly states that Vance secured financial backing late the previous winter 'immediately after submitting his preliminary instrument specifications.' Because this submission occurred prior to obtaining funding in late winter, it predated optical calibration in Boston, mount assembly in Denver, and image development in September.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Extract all temporal markers and events related to the 1878 expedition from the text.
Identified events: Submitting specifications (late winter), securing backing (late winter, right after specs), calibrating plates in Boston (3 weeks before going west), assembling mount in Denver (June 1878), sealing exposed plates (July 29, 1878), and developing images in Boston (September 1878).
Tracking time-anchors allows accurate chronological reconstruction of a non-linear narrative.
2
Arrange the 1878 expedition events chronologically from earliest to latest.
Chronological timeline: (1) Submitting specifications → (2) Securing financial backing → (3) Calibrating plates in Boston → (4) Assembling mount in Denver → (5) Sealing plates → (6) Developing images in Boston.
Reordering flashback elements puts the narrative into true temporal sequence.
3
Compare the option choices against the reconstructed timeline.
Submitting preliminary instrument specifications took place in late winter prior to receiving financial backing, making it the first event among the options.
Confirms the earliest stated action.

Key Concept

Determining Stated Sequence of Events
Rate this question

Topics

Determining Stated Sequence of Events

More questions from this topic