Before the 1950s, cargo ships spent weeks in port while dockworkers individually loaded crates, barrels, and sacks of various shapes into cargo holds. Goods frequently suffered damage from repeated handling, and theft was widespread along crowded waterfronts. When uniform rectangular steel containers were introduced across docks, railways, and flatbed trucks, loading times dropped from weeks to hours, transit damage plummeted, and port congestion disappeared.
Which of the following best expresses the unstated main idea of the passage?
- AEarly dockworkers required weeks of manual labor to pack cargo holds before the mid-twentieth century.
- BInternational commercial trade depends almost entirely on advances in heavy steel manufacturing.
- Standardized shipping containers resolved severe freight handling delays and security issues.Answer
- DAir transport quickly replaced maritime shipping as the most reliable way to prevent cargo theft.
Answer
Standardized shipping containers resolved severe freight handling delays and security issues.
The passage describes the inefficiencies, damage, and theft inherent in pre-1950s cargo loading, followed by the dramatic improvements brought by uniform steel boxes. The implied main idea is that the introduction of standardized shipping containers successfully resolved these major logistical and security challenges.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Identifying an unstated main idea by synthesizing supporting evidence and paragraph structure
Estimated Time:45s