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Question

Difficulty: EasyCausal Detail Extraction

Read the following passage:

During long-range field expeditions, tactical teams rely on high-frequency (HF) radio transmitters to maintain contact with headquarters. When severe solar flares erupt, high-energy solar radiation bombards Earth's upper atmosphere, ionizing the atmospheric layers. Consequently, this excess ionization absorbs high-frequency radio waves rather than reflecting them back to the ground, resulting in sudden and widespread radio signal loss across all expedition units.

According to the passage, what directly causes the radio signal loss during severe solar flares?

  1. A
    Tactical teams fail to properly maintain their radio equipment during long-range field operations.
  2. Excess atmospheric ionization absorbs the radio waves instead of reflecting them back to the ground.Answer
  3. C
    The breakdown in communication across ground units triggers eruptions on the surface of the sun.
  4. D
    Extreme ambient temperatures in the field overheat and permanently damage the radio transmitters.

Answer

Excess atmospheric ionization absorbs the radio waves instead of reflecting them back to the ground.
The passage directly links the signal loss to atmospheric changes caused by solar flares, explicitly stating that excess atmospheric ionization absorbs high-frequency radio waves rather than reflecting them back to the ground.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the stated effect in the passage
Identified the phrase 'resulting in sudden and widespread radio signal loss across all expedition units.'
The question asks for the direct cause of this specific outcome.
2
Identify the explicit causal connector and preceding cause
Found 'Consequently, this excess ionization absorbs high-frequency radio waves rather than reflecting them back to the ground.'
Causal signal words like 'consequently' directly link the preceding mechanism to the subsequent effect.
3
Match the extracted fact to the corresponding answer choice
Selected the option stating that excess ionization absorbs the waves instead of reflecting them.
This option accurately reflects the literal causal statement in the text without distortion.

Key Concept

Extracting explicitly stated cause-and-effect relationships from text using transition signals.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Causal Detail Extraction

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