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Difficulty: MediumIdentifying Explicit Details

Read the passage below:

In August 1942, inventor Hedy Lamarr and pianist-composer George Antheil were granted U.S. Patent No. 2,292,387 for a secret communication system. Developed to prevent enemy forces from jamming radio-controlled torpedoes, the system relied on frequency hopping across eighty-eight distinct channels—a number selected to match the keys of a standard piano keyboard. Antheil implemented this design using synchronized paper rolls identical to those found in player pianos. Although the U.S. Navy declined to adopt the technology during World War II due to its mechanical complexity, the fundamental concept of frequency hopping eventually served as an essential foundation for modern wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

According to the passage, why did the frequency-hopping communication system utilize exactly eighty-eight frequency channels?

  1. To correspond to the number of keys on a standard piano keyboardAnswer
  2. B
    To match the numerical designation of the United States patent granted in 1942
  3. C
    To enable compatibility with modern wireless Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks
  4. D
    To allow eighty-eight separate paper rolls to operate inside each torpedo

Answer

The frequency-hopping system utilized eighty-eight channels to correspond to the number of keys on a standard piano keyboard.
The passage explicitly states that eighty-eight channels were chosen specifically to match the number of keys on a standard piano keyboard.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the specific detail in the text mentioning eighty-eight channels.
The passage states that the system relied on 'frequency hopping across eighty-eight distinct channels'.
Explicit detail questions require finding the exact line in the passage addressing the question stem.
2
Read the immediate context explaining why that specific number was selected.
The text explicitly follows with '—a number selected to match the keys of a standard piano keyboard.'
The direct statement directly explains the cause/rationale behind the choice of eighty-eight channels.
3
Match the explicit statement to the correct option.
The option stating 'To correspond to the number of keys on a standard piano keyboard' accurately paraphrases the explicit detail.
The correct response reflects directly stated information without extrapolation.

Key Concept

Identifying Explicit Details in Informational Text
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Identifying Explicit Details

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