Question

Difficulty: MediumExplicit Main Idea

Passage:
During scheduled depot-level maintenance, aviation technicians frequently inspect critical airframe joints for microscopic fatigue damage using specialized electromagnetic probes. By passing an energized coil over aluminum skin panels, the instrument induces circular electrical currents that experience measurable resistance changes whenever a subsurface flaw is encountered. Because it reliably identifies minute defects without damaging components or requiring disassembly, eddy-current testing has become an essential non-destructive inspection method for military aircraft.

According to the passage, which of the following best expresses the main idea?

  1. A
    Passing an energized coil over aluminum skin panels induces circular electrical currents in the metal.
  2. Eddy-current testing is an indispensable non-destructive method for detecting structural defects in military aircraft.Answer
  3. C
    Non-destructive testing methods have eliminated the need for physical disassembly across the entire aviation industry.
  4. D
    Depot-level maintenance facilities must immediately replace all aluminum aircraft panels showing fatigue damage.

Answer

Eddy-current testing is an indispensable non-destructive method for detecting structural defects in military aircraft.
The correct answer accurately restates the explicit topic sentence found at the end of the passage, which establishes that eddy-current testing is a vital non-destructive evaluation tool for military aircraft structural integrity.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Read the passage to identify the central topic and overall scope.
The text discusses how maintenance technicians inspect airframes using electromagnetic probes to detect hidden structural fatigue.
Grasping the paragraph as a whole prevents mistaking individual technical details for the primary message.
2
Locate the explicit topic sentence that synthesizes the supporting facts.
The concluding sentence states that eddy-current testing has become an essential non-destructive inspection method for military aircraft because it detects defects without component disassembly or damage.
In technical expository prose, the main idea is often explicitly stated in a concluding topic sentence that summarizes the function and importance of the subject.
3
Match the explicit claim to the corresponding option while eliminating narrow details and scope distortions.
The statement identifying eddy-current testing as an indispensable non-destructive method for detecting structural defects accurately captures the explicit topic sentence.
The correct choice must capture the entire paragraph's primary thesis rather than an isolated operational step or an overgeneralized claim.

Key Concept

Explicit Main Idea Identification
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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