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Difficulty: MediumCausal Detail Extraction

In carbureted marine engines, fuel supply lines often pass close to the engine block. When an engine operates under heavy loads in high temperatures, excessive ambient heat can cause liquid gasoline inside the supply line to vaporize before reaching the carburetor. Because mechanical fuel pumps are designed to draw liquid rather than gas, this vapor pocket prevents the pump from generating sufficient pressure. Consequently, fuel starvation occurs, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly.

According to the passage, what causes the mechanical fuel pump to fail to generate sufficient pressure?

  1. A
    The unexpected stalling of the engine caused by fuel starvation
  2. B
    The liquid gasoline reaching the carburetor under heavy loads
  3. The formation of a vapor pocket that the pump is not engineered to drawAnswer
  4. D
    A clogged fuel filter restricting the flow of gasoline into the engine block

Answer

The mechanical fuel pump fails to generate sufficient pressure because a vapor pocket forms in the line, and the pump is engineered to draw liquid rather than gas.
The passage directly establishes cause and effect using the explanatory signal 'Because mechanical fuel pumps are designed to draw liquid rather than gas, this vapor pocket prevents the pump from generating sufficient pressure.' Thus, the pump's inability to draw vaporized fuel is the explicit cause of the pressure failure.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the explicit discussion of the mechanical fuel pump and pressure generation in the passage.
Identified the sentence: 'Because mechanical fuel pumps are designed to draw liquid rather than gas, this vapor pocket prevents the pump from generating sufficient pressure.'
Causal detail questions require finding the specific causal marker ('Because') linked directly to the target effect.
2
Extract the direct cause stated immediately following the causal indicator.
The presence of a vapor pocket combined with the pump's design limitation (built for liquid, not gas) directly impedes pressure generation.
This confirms the explicit factual connection without relying on unstated inferences or downstream consequences.

Key Concept

Causal Detail Extraction in Technical Passages
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Causal Detail Extraction

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